Material relating to the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four Cases including correspondence, case documents (legal) and research material. It includes photocopies of transcript from Dáil Éireann, 30/10/1985, 05/11/1985, 06/02/1986, 12/03/1986, 04/06/1986, 24/06/1986, 09/07/1986; letters from The Birmingham Six Committee to Mary Robinson (MR) in relation to public meeting on 18th June, asking her to chair (07/07/1986), and thanking her and apologising for change of speakers (21/06/1986); press release from West Midlands Prevention of Terrorism Act Research and Welfare Association, about the setting up of an office in Birmingham to monitor the effects of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) on population and noting that between 1977 and 1984, 1/2 million people, mainly Irish, had been stopped, searched and checked under the act, [198?]; typed document "The Birmingham Six" and cover letter to MR from David Barry, Anglo-Irish Section, Department of Foreign Affairs 09-10/06/1986; letter from Joseph Colgan, solicitor, The Birmingham Six Committee to MR asking her to be chairperson for public meeting at Mansion House, 16/10/1986, (03/10/1986); letter from ER Smalley to MR in relation to British Home Secretary ordering an enquiry into the Guildford Four case, 10/10/1986; "Justice for the Birmingham Six" flyer for Birmingham Six public meeting, Mansion House, 16/10/1986 with notation and listing MR as chair; typed document "The Birmingham Six", Paul Gunning, Anglo-Irish Division, Department of Foreign Affairs, October 1986, with notation; typed document "Mrs Annie Maguire, Giuseppe Conlon et al", Anglo-Irish Division, Department of Foreign Affairs, October 1986, with notation; typed document "Guildford and Woolwich Bombings", Paul Gunning, Anglo-Irish Division, Department of Foreign Affairs, October 1986, with notation; correspondence between Ros Franey, Grant McKee and Mandy Hill, Yorkshire Television and MR in relation to interview she did in Leeds for programme "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" [which aired on Channel 4 on 16/11/1986] which includes copy of Mr Justice Donaldson's judgement in the original Guildford Trial, copy of the appeal court judgement delivered by Lord Roskill?, and airline and hotel receipts 21/10/1986-07/11/1986; letter from Nuala Kelly, ICPO inviting Senator MR to meeting of all those working on the cases of Maguire Seven, the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four, 19/11/1986; letter from Maire Griffin, Secretary, Birmingham Six Committee to membership enclosing copy of letter received by Paddy Joe Hill, one of the Birmingham Six, 26/08/1987; circular (28/11/1987) to membership from Birmingham Six Committee re public meeting "the British System of Justice" taking place in Dublin on 01/12/1987; circular from Irish Prisoners Support Group, London to membership updating on unsuccessful verdict in Birmingham Six Appeal and asking for more lobbying, 30/01/1988; letter from Nuala Kelly, ICPO to MR in relation to case of Patick McLaughlin, arrested and charged under the PTA in 1985, with copy of letter from his mother, Mrs Rose McLaughlin (03/02/1988); letter from Nuala Kelly, ICPO, to MR welcoming recent motions tabled by the Labour party in the Dáil but requesting single motion from all parties, 09/05/1988; letter from Maire Griffin, The Birmingham Six Committee in relation to fund-raising events, 19/05/1988; press release re launch of book "Time Bomb" on the Guildford bombing case, in Dublin on 30th September 1986 which resulted from years of research initially begun for a Yorkshire Television Documentary, 26/09/1988; flyers relating to Guildford Four Appeal and Free The Guildford Four/Maguire Seven Relatives Campaign (Errol Smalley), [1988?]; letter from The Birmingham Six Committee (02/02/1989) requesting MR chair Public Meeting to be held on 17th February, and two circulars to membership asking if they wanted to subscribe to have their signature added to advertisements to be placed in national papers, 07/03/1989 and 18/06/1990; letter to MR from Patricia McKenna, for Justice for the Armagh Four - Campaign for a Retrial, in relation to case of the Armagh Four, also known as the UDR Four, 10/05/1990.

Newspaper cuttings relating to Birmingham Six, Guildford Four cases and British justice system 09/06/1986-21/04/1989.

Material in this file consists of correspondence between Mary Robinson and Blake Kenny solicitors, Galway who represented a Garage proprietor in Galway and includes brief, an extract from the Treaty of Accession to the European Economic Community and cover letter requesting her legal opinion (16/12/1982) and reply promising same (21/12/1982). No further documentation.

Letter from Fachtna McCarthy, Collins Brooks and Associates, solicitors to Mary Robinson, Senior Counsel, in relation to notice of change of solicitor in High Court Matrimonial proceedings of O'Keeffe v O'Keeffe, which would see an end of his involvement, 03/07/1989. Letter has handwritten notation on rear.

File consists of letter from Terence Cosgrave of Terence Cosgrave & Co solicitors, to Mary Robinson (MR) thanking her for her legal opinion and asking a follow-up question (30/05/1990); reply from Ann Lane, Personal Assistant for MR, informing Cosgrave that MR was on Presidential campaign trail and suggesting he seek alternative Counsel (09/10/1990); letter from Cosgrave on behalf of client Mrs Faulkner, requesting recommendations for alternative Counsel and reply from Lane regretting that it was not appropriate for MR to do so (25-29/1/1991); handwritten note from Collette [?] relating to phone call from Faulkner requesting all documents relating to her case which MR still had and which were urgently needed for possible appeal, 199[?].

Case relates to an American citizen, “seized on American soil away from any recognized or traditional field of battle and held incommunicado for more than a year without any charge being filed against him, without any access to counsel, and without any right to challenge the basis for his detention before a United States judge or magistrate", as per "Amici's Interest" in brief.

Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 542 U.S. 426 (2004), was a United States Supreme Court case, in which José Padilla, an American citizen, sought habeas corpus relief against Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, as a result of his detention by the military as an "unlawful combatant."

The case was petitioned to the United States Supreme Court. The principal issue before the Court was whether the Congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force post September 11, 2001, gave the president the powers to detain a United States citizen under military custody by classifying the detainee as an "enemy combatant."

This material was possibly used by Mary Robinson for research or reference.

Two copies of published Brief "Nos. 03-334 & 03-343 in the Supreme Court of the United States Fawzi Khalid Abdullah Fahad Al Odah, et al., Petitioners, and Shafiq Rasul et al., Petitioners, v United States, et al., Respondents and George W. Bush, et al., Respondents. On Writs of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Brief of the International Commission of Jurists and the American Association for the International Commission of Jurists, Amici Curiae, Supporting Petitioners".

Rasul v Bush was a landmark decision of the United States (US) Supreme Court in which the Court held that foreign nationals held in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp could petition federal courts for writs of habeas corpus to review the legality of their detention. The Court's 6–3 judgment on June 28, 2004, reversed a D.C. Circuit decision which had held that the judiciary has no jurisdiction to hear any petitions from foreign nationals held in Guantanamo Bay. The lead petitioner, British citizen Shafiq Rasul, was one of the Tipton Three. The US transported the three men to the United Kingdom in March 2004 before the decision was handed down, and the government released them the next day.

This material was either used for research or reference purposes by Mary Robinson, or she was involved through her work with the International Commission of Jurists, of which she was a member.

Kiki Camarena, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent was kidnapped and murdered by a Mexican drug cartel in 1985. After an investigation, the DEA concluded that Humberto Álvarez-Machaín had participated in the murder. A warrant for his arrest was issued by a federal district court. The DEA, however, was unable to convince Mexico to extradite Álvarez-Machaín, so they hired several Mexican nationals to capture him and bring him back to the United States. His subsequent trial was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, which found that the government could try a person who had been forcibly abducted, but that the abduction itself might violate international law and provide grounds for a civil suit.

Material includes email printout of correspondence between Harold Koh. Counsel of Record and Professor of International Law, Yale University, Benjamin Hensler, Yale University and Mary Robinson (MR) asking if she would serve as amicus curiae in a brief to be filed in case of Sosa v Alvarez-Machain, 11/02/2004; email print out of correspondence between MR, Koh and (Lord) Anthony Lester, Queen’s Counsel including printed attachment of draft brief 22-23/02/2004; print out of email from Koh to multiple recipients and attached pdf of copy of Brief of Amici Curiae International Jurists in Support of affirmance in Sosa v Alvarez-Machain, 28/02/2004; published Brief "No. 03-339 in the Supreme Court of the United States José Francisco Sosa, Petitioner, v Humberto Alvarez-Machain, Respondent. On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Brief of Amici Curiae International Jurists in Support of Affirmance", 2004.

MR’s involvement in this case is as one of International Commission of Jurists and was amicus curiae.

Also included in this file is correspondence from Koh to MR in relation to another Amicus brief "Hamdi v Rumsfeld" which MR was happy to join as lead amicus, 18/10/2003-18/02/2004.

Dominique Green, a death row inmate, was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, 26/10/2004. Green was 18 when he robbed Andrew Lastrapes Jr outside a Houston convenience store, but he maintained until he died that he did not shoot him. Two of three accomplices were convicted of aggravated robbery and received prison terms. The third was not tried for the crime. Green was granted a reprieve hours before the scheduled execution which was then overturned. The execution went forward despite an 11th-hour appeal to the US Supreme Court. In the weeks before the execution, the family of the man Green was convicted of murdering joined in the struggle to have Green’s sentence commuted.

Material consists of print out of email from Judge Sheila M. Murphy (email address from Kathryn Gough) to Mary Robinson (MR) requesting her to join as amicus, 16/02/2004 with handwritten notated reply from MR declining which was then crossed out; printout of fax to MR from Murphy, 26/02/2004, requesting she look over attached Writ of Certiorari recently filed with the Supreme Court, ahead of Amicus Brief which was due following month.

It is unclear whether MR accepted invitation to join the Amicus brief.

Material consists of print out of email "Int[ernational] Amicus Alert - Castlerock v Gonzales", from Jordan J Paust, Law Foundation Professor, University of Houston, to list of recipients, 03/02/2005; print out of email sent from Peter Weiss to Mary Robinson (MR) in relation to the denial of permission to file amici brief in "Kiobel case", 03/11/2010.

It is unclear what MR’s involvement was in either case.