Jose David Velandia Pulido ’26 LL.M. argues before Inter-American Court of Human Rights

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA—While most students at Penn State Dickinson Law were returning to classes the week after spring break, Jose David Velandia Pulido ’26 LL.M. was undertaking a remarkable learning journey.

On March 20, the Colombia native presented oral arguments before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights during a public hearing. Velandia Pulido received the invitation after co-authoring an amicus curiae brief analyzing the role of political parties across the countries in the Americas from a theoretical and practical perspective.

The brief, written last year in his role as a research group coordinator before he came to Penn State Dickinson Law in University Park, responded to a request from the Republic of Guatemala to the court to discuss the protection of democracy. The court then sought public input. In February, Velandia Pulido received an email inviting him to speak at the public hearing at the Supreme Federal Court in Brasilia, Brazil, the country’s highest judicial body.

He and her co-author presented on the final day of the four-day hearing. They made their arguments in Spanish before the seven judges, who hail from different countries.

“It was a great opportunity,” said Velandia Pulido, who applied for and received student travel funding from the Office of Academic & Student Services for the trip. “I had the chance to meet people from the court and other countries. We prepared well and based most of our arguments on our brief, but we did change a bit, trying to say the most interesting things that no one had said before us.”

Afterward, Judge Diego Moreno Rodríguez from Paraguay sought out Velandia Pulido and his colleagues to congratulate them on a well-reasoned presentation and take a photo.

“Participating in an Advisory Opinion proceeding before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights provided a great opportunity to move beyond theoretical study into high-level legal argumentation. By presenting oral arguments in an Organization of American States forum, I improved my ability to communicate complex legal reasoning before a bench of international jurists,” said Velandia Pulido.

Other stakeholders submitting briefs included nine national governments (including the United States) as well as international organizations such as UN Women, academic research groups, and several members of the civil society. The court will eventually render an opinion on Guatemala’s request, though Velandia Pulido said there is no clear timeline for it.

While much of the trip centered on his court appearance, Velandia Pulido had time for fun as well. He enjoyed kayaking on Paranoá Lake and lunching with others who appeared before court. He also visited National Congress Place, where the Brazilian national legislature meets.

“This experience taught me how important it is to actually hear and understand different legal perspectives,” said Velandia Pulido. “Talking to others from different countries, we received a lot of good perspectives that left us thinking and trying to understand another point of view.”