Background

Biography 

Colin joined Newcastle University's Law School in December 2006 following the completion of his postgraduate research at Durham University. Prior to this appointment Colin held temporary teaching positions at Durham and Sheffield Universities. He is a founding contributor to the blog Human Rights in Ireland and has written for The Conversation and The Guardian. Many of Colin's research papers are available open-access on SSRN and academia.edu. His research has been cited in the UK Supreme Court, and has also informed UK Government consultations and Parliamentary Committee reports across a range of public law issues. These include prisoner voting, the office of Lord Chancellor and the nature of the UK's devolution arrangements. He leads a major ESRC research project on the impact of Brexit upon governance and identity in Northern Ireland. He tweets from @niconstitution (on governance in Northern Ireland), @mastermamurray (on UK constitutional law) and @tctlaw (on counter-terrorism law).

Qualifications

LLB (Hons) Dunelm (2004)

Mjur Dunelm (2006)

PGCert Advanced Studies in Academic Practice (2009)

Esteem Indicators

Specialist adviser to the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on the Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill (2013)

Newcastle University Teaching Excellence Award for pastoral support for students (2014)

Co-convener of the Society of Legal Scholars' Civil Liberties Subject Section (2012-2015)

Director of Newcastle Human Rights Research Group (2009-2011)

Commended for Excellence in Teaching in the Vice Chancellor's Awards (2011)

Visiting Scholar at the PluriCourts Centre, University of Oslo (2015)

Roles and Responsibilities

HaSS Faculty Programme Liaison Officer (2015-Present)

Law School Athena SWAN Committee (2016-Present)

Previous Roles and Responsibilities

SLS Council Representative for Newcastle University (2013-2017) 

Degree Programme Director Undergraduate Studies (2012-2014) 

Induction Coordinator (2009-2012)

Mooting Coordinator (2007-2011)

Deputy Degree Programme Director Undergraduate Studies (2007-2009, 2011-2012)

Year 3 Stage Tutor (2007-2010)

Staff Representative, Staff-Student Committee (2007-2010 and 2012-2014)

Law School Website Manager (2012-2013)

Law School Library Committee Representative (2008-2013, 2016-2018)

HaSS Faculty Representative, University Higher Education Achievement Report Committee (2010-2011)

Memberships

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Member of the Newcastle Forum for Human Rights and Social Justice

Member of the Newcastle Military, War and Security Research Group

Member of the Society of Legal Scholars

Member of the Socio-Legal Studies Association

Member of the UK Constitutional Law Association 

External Examiner Appointments

University of Liverpool, School of Law and Social Justice (2015-Present)

Association of International Accountants (2007-2010)

Research

Research Interests

Colin's current research is focused in the fields of national security law, legal history and public law. This work has fed into official consultations on prisoner voting rights, the office of Lord Chancellor, drone strikes, Northern Ireland and "Brexit" and the UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia. His work concentrates on the concepts of citizenship and allegiance and of their increasing significance in legal discourse. Colin's current research examines the UK Government's use of "Good Citizenship" justifications to deny prisoners the right to vote. Other ongoing projects examine the relationship between the law of treason (together with other historic political offences) and 21st century counter-terrorism legislation.

Research Funding

2019 - £252,215.26 ESRC Governance After Brexit Grant (with A. O'Donoghue (Durham), S. de Mars (Newcastle) and B. Warwick (Birmingham)) on the project “Performing Identities: Post-Brexit Northern Ireland and the reshaping of 21st-Century Governance”.

2018 - £9949 ESRC Impact Acceleration Fund Grant (with S. de Mars (Newcastle)) on the project “Northern Ireland and Brexit: Bordering Two Unions”.

2017 - £16,148 Joint Committee of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (with A. O'Donoghue (Durham) and B. Warwick (Birmingham)) to produce a High Level Policy Paper on the impact of Brexit upon human rights in Ireland.

2016 - £9975 ESRC Impact Acceleration Fund Grant (with A. O'Donoghue (Durham), S. de Mars (Newcastle) and B. Warwick (Durham)) on the project “Constitutional Conundrums: Northern Ireland, the European Union and Human Rights”.

2013 - £1150 Society of Legal Scholars Activities Fund Grant to support archival research on the development of statutory restrictions upon immigrants in the UK in the twentieth century. 

2010 - £2000 Modern Law Review Seminar Fund to support the Newcastle Human Right's Research Group's one-day symposium “Human Rights - A Drop of liberation or a Fig-Leaf of Legitimation”.

Invited Papers and Seminars

C. Murray, ‘Futureland - Northern Ireland after Brexit’, Oxford University Lecture, 1 November 2018.

C. Murray, “The Tail Wagging the Dog? Good Friday Agreement as a Constitutional Treaty”, “Treaties, Brexit and the Constitution” Conference, Jesus College Oxford, 23 March 2018.

C. Murray, “One Country, Two System: Accommodating Northern Ireland in Brexit”, Warwick University Seminar, 21 February 2018.

C. Murray, “Special Status? Northern Ireland, Brexit and Human Rights”, “Northern/Ireland After Brexit: Exploring the Human Rights Impact” Symposium, University College Dublin, 3 May 2017.

C. Murray, “We’re all Plumbers Now: Miller and the Polycentric UK Constitution”, Durham Law School Symposium on the Miller Judgment, 16 February 2017.

C. Murray (and A. O’Donoghue, B. Warwick), “UK Human Rights Reform in the Northern Ireland Context”, University of Ulster Transitional Justice Institute/Human Rights Consortium Seminar, 24 May 2016.

C. Murray (and A. O’Donoghue), “From Fragmentation to Constitutionalisation in the United Kingdom and Global Legal Orders”, PluriCourts Seminar, University of Oslo, 18 March 2015.

C. Murray, “A Delegation or a Derogation of Responsibility? The Role of Parliament in the UK's experience of ECHR Derogations”, MultiRights Workshop, University of Oslo, 13 March 2015. 

C. Murray (and A. O’Donoghue), “Of Hierarchies and Hegemonies: Courts, Fragmentation and Constitutionalisation”, Durham Law School Symposium on Opinion 2/13, 25 February 2015.

C. Murray, “Tort and Torture”, “Public Life of Private Law” Workshop, 10 December 2014.

C. Murray, “The need to field a Long Stop: The Courts and the Right to Free and Fair Elections", Study of Parliament Group Seminar, 18 June 2014.

C. Murray, “Judging, Nudging, Fudging? The Counter-Terrorism Jurisprudence of the UK Courts since 9-11”, Durham University Human Rights Centre Seminar, 23 April 2013.  

C. Murray, “Back to the Future: Tort Law’s ability to address Large-Scale Human Rights Abuses”, Sunderland University Staff Seminar, 5 March 2013.

C. Murray, “The Mau Mau Torture Claims: Tort Law's (Not so) New Frontier”, Durham University Law and Conflict Group Seminar, 15 November 2012. 

Conference Presentations

C. Murray, “The Edge of Law: The Good Friday Agreement and Brexit”, Newcastle Law School Symposium, “Law and Politics”, 29 May 2018. 

C. Murray (and T. Frost), “Against the Dying of the Light: Public and Private Law in the Chagos Cases”, Newcastle University: SLSA Annual Conference, 6 April 2017. 

C. Murray, “Pilgrims in an Unholy Land: The United Kingdom’s Law Officers in Times of Crisis”, University of Liverpool Conference, “After Chilcot: Evaluating the Legal Implications of the Iraq Inquiry”, 8 December 2016.

C. Murray, “Innovation and Improvisation in Times of Crisis: The United Kingdom’s Response to the Brogan Judgment”, Newcastle University: “Law and Innovation”, 11 May 2016.

C. Murray, “Tainted Legacy: Magna Carta and the Scrapping of the Human Rights Act” Newcastle University: “Dark Sides of Magna Carta” (24 July 2015).

C. Murray, “Friendly Fire: Prisoner Voting Rights and Media Perceptions of Human Rights”, Human Rights in the Media Conference, Liverpool Law School, 19 September 2014.

C. Murray, “Constitutionalism Triumphant? Transnational assimilation of counter-terrorism Jurisprudence”, London School of Economics: “Law, Justice and the Security Gap”, 20 June 2014.

C. Murray, “Chasing Phantoms: Proscription of Organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000”, Bristol University: Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, 11 September 2012.

C. Murray, “Out of the Shadows: The Courts and the United Kingdom's International Counter-Terrorism Relationships”, Newcastle University: “After bin Laden”, 2 May 2012. 

C. Murray, “Broken Duties? The Holy Cross Case and Policing amidst Transition in Northern Ireland”, Durham University: “Transitional Justice and Restorative Justice: Potential, Pitfalls and Future”, 16 September 2011.

C. Murray, “The UK and Diplomatic Protection: No Great Leap into the 21st Century”, British Institute of International and Comparative Law 20th SLS International Law Section Conference: “Diplomatic and Consular Protection in the 21st Century”, 3 May 2011.

C. Murray, “International Counter-Terrorism Co-operation from the United Kingdom’s Perspective”, Sussex University: SLSA Annual Conference, 12 April 2011.

C. Murray (and K. J. Brown), “Socrates is Dead: Developing Interactive Law Lectures using Educational Technology”, Sussex University: SLSA Annual Conference, 12 April 2011.

C. Murray, “Democratic Dialogue and the ongoing saga of prisoner disenfranchisement”, Durham University British Academy Conference: “The Human Rights Act - 10 years on”, 24 September 2010.

C. Murray, “Guantánamo Bay, Diplomatic Protection and Allegiance”, University of Westminster: “After Guantanamo Bay: Perspectives on the War on Terror”, 22 January 2010.

C. Murray, “The Problems with Proscription: Banning Terrorist Organizations in the United States and the United Kingdom”,Pace Law School (NY), Pace International Law Review Annual Conference: “National Security Across the Globe”, 14 November 2009.

C. Murray, “Citizenship, Allegiance and Rights in the United Kingdom”, Keele University: Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, 8 September 2009.

C. Murray (and M. Enright), “Suspect Communities: Tracing the Concept of Loyalty in Counter-terrorism Law”, University College Cork Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights Conference: ‘The Promise of Law: Political Claims and the Boundaries of Justice’, 30 April 2009.

Teaching

Colin's research-led teaching focuses on the intersection of Public Law, Criminal Law and National Security policy. His teaching practice makes extensive use of in-class quizzes, response devices and discussion of video materials. He is committed to his students making a contribution to academic debate, establishing the North East Law Review in 2013 to showcase the very best student coursework produced at Newcastle each year. His contribution to teaching in the Law School has been formally recognised by a Vice Chancellor's Commendation (2011) and by a Teaching Excellence Award (2014).  

Undergraduate Teaching

LAW3035 Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Law (Stage 3) (Module Convenor).

Colin has taught on US Constitutional Law (Stage 3),  Media Law (Stage 3), Criminal Law (Stage 2), Public Law (Stage 1) and Legal Institutions and Methods (Stage 1).

Postgraduate Supervision

Colin supervises postgraduate students working on public law projects, particularly those focused on national security and counter-terrorism law.  

Current Supervisees:

Temitayo Atere - Cybersecurity and Financial Crime Management

Eva Saeva - EU and national approaches to territorial sovereignty and cyberspace 

Tim Sayer - The relationship between policy and law

Completed Supervisees:

Martine Wade - The use of executive detention as a counter-terrorism power

If you would like further information on reading for a research degree at Newcastle Law School please see www.ncl.ac.uk/nuls/postgraduate/research/index.htm

Teaching Funding

2012 - £7000 Higher Education Academy Teaching Development Grant to support the creation of a student-led law review.

2010 - £5000 Newcastle University Innovation Fund (with K. Brown) to fund research into the use of interactive learning technology to enhance lectures.

Publications

• de Mars S, Murray C, O'Donoghue A, Warwick B. Bordering Two Unions: Northern Ireland and Brexit. Bristol: Policy Press, 2018.
• Masterman R, Murray C. Constitutional and Administrative Law. Pearson, 2018.
• Dickinson RA, Katselli-Proukaki E, Murray C, Pedersen O, ed. Examining Critical Perspectives on Human Rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
• Murray C. Monstering Strasbourg over Prisoner Voting Rights. In: Farrell, M; Drywood, E; Hughes, E, ed. Human Rights in the Media: Fear and Fetish. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019, pp.101-126.
• Murray C, Frost T. The Chagossians’ Struggle and the Last Bastions of Imperial Constitutionalism. In: Allen, S and Monaghan, C, ed. Fifty Years of the British Indian Ocean Territory: Legal Perspectives. Springer, 2018, pp.147-174.
• Murray C. The Magna Carta’s Tainted Legacy: Historic Justifications for a British Bill of Rights and the case against the Human Rights Act. In: Cowell, F, ed. Critically Examining the Case Against the 1998 Human Rights Act. Oxford: Routledge, 2018, pp.35-51.
• Murray C, O'Donoghue A, Warwick B. The Implications of the Good Friday Agreement for UK Human-Rights Reform. In: Irish Yearbook of International Law. Hart Publishing, 2017, pp.71-96.
• Murray CRG. Convergences and Divergences: Countering Terrorist Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom. King's Law Journal 2017, 28(3), 445-470.
• Murray C, O'Donoghue A. A Path Already Travelled in Domestic Orders? From Fragmentation to Constitutionalisation in the Global Legal Order. International Journal of Law in Context 2017, 13(3), 225-252.
• Murray CRG, Pitsillidou L, Caine C. Student-led law reviews: What every UK law school needs?. The Law Teacher 2017, 51(2), 170-187.
• Murray C, de Mars S, O'Donoghue A, Warwick B. Policy Paper: Northern Ireland and the Brave New World of Brexit. Durham University, Newcastle University, Birmingham University, 2017.
• Murray C. Shifting Emergencies from the Political to the Legal Sphere: Placing the United Kingdom’s Derogations from the ECHR in Historical Context. In: Saul, M; Follesdal, A; Ulfstein, G, ed. The International Human Rights Judiciary and National Parliaments: Europe and Beyond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017, pp.198-222.
• Murray C. In Re E (a child) (the 'Holy Cross' case). In: O'Donoghue A; Enright M; McCandless J, ed. Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges' Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. Oxford: Hart, 2017, pp.311-323.
• Murray C, O'Donoghue A. Towards unilateralism? House of Commons Oversight of the Use of Force. International and Comparative Law Quarterly 2016, 65(2), 305-341.
• Murray C. Nudging or Fudging? The UK Courts’ Counterterrorism Jurisprudence Since 9/11. Journal of Conflict and Security Law 2016, 21(1), 91-113.
• Murray C, Brown K. Enhancing Interactivity in the Teaching of Criminal Law: Using Response Technology in the Lecture Theatre. In: Gledhill, K; Livings, B, ed. The Teaching of Criminal Law: The pedagogical imperatives. Routledge, 2016, pp.46-59.
• Murray C, de Mars S, O'Donoghue A, Warwick B. Policy Paper - Brexit, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Social Science Electronic Publishing: Durham University; Newcastle University, 2016.
• Murray C, Frost T. The Chagos Islands Cases: The Empire Strikes Back. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly 2015, 66(3), 263-288.
• Warwick BTC, Murray CRG, O'Donoghue A. Policy Paper: The Place of Northern Ireland within UK Human Rights Reform. Social Science Electronic Publishing: Durham University; Newcastle University, 2015.
• Murray C. 'To Punish, Deter and Incapacitate': Incarceration and Radicalisation in UK Prisons after 9/11. In: Andrew Silke, ed. Prisons, Terrorism and Extremism: Critical Issues in Management, Radicalisation and Reform. London, UK: Routledge, 2014, pp.16-32.
• Murray C. The Continuation of Politics, by Other Means: Judicial Dialogue under the Human Rights Act 1998. In: Masterman, R., Leigh, I, ed. The United Kingdom's Statutory Bill of Rights: Constitutional and Comparative Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, pp.51-79.
• Murray C. Out of the Shadows: The Courts and the United Kingdom’s Malfunctioning International Counter-Terrorism Partnerships. Journal of Conflict & Security Law 2013, 18(2), 193-232.
• Murray C. A Perfect Storm: Parliament and Prisoner Disenfranchisement. Parliamentary Affairs 2013, 66(3), 511-539.
• Masterman R, Murray C. Exploring Constitutional and Administrative Law. Harlow: Pearson, 2013.
• Murray C, Pedersen O. Examining Critical Perspectives on Human Rights: An Introduction. In: Examining Critical Perspectives on Human Rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012, pp.3-18.
• Murray C. Of fortresses and caltrops: national security and competing models of rights protection. In: Dickinson, R, Katselli-Proukaki, E, Murray, C and Pedersen, O, ed. Examining Critical Perspectives on Human Rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012, pp.107-128.
• Murray C. Playing for Time: Prisoner Disenfranchisement under the ECHR after Hirst v United Kingdom . King's Law Journal 2011, 22(3), 309-334.
• Murray C. We need to talk: “democratic dialogue” and the ongoing saga of prisoner disenfranchisement. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly 2011, 62(1), 57-74.
• Murray C. In the Shadow of Lord Haw Haw: Guantánamo Bay, Diplomatic Protection and Allegiance. Public Law 2011, 1, 115-138.
• Murray C. The Ripple Effect: Guantánamo Bay in the United Kingdom's Courts. Pace International Law Review (OC) 2010, 15-44.
• Murray C. The Changing Nature of Religious Rights under International Law Edited by Malcolm Evans, Peter Petkoff and Julian Rivers Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2015. Ecclesiastical Law Journal 2017, 19(2), 237-239.
• Murray C. Brady, A.D.P. 'Proportionality and Deference under the UK Human Rights Act: An Institutionally Sensitive Approach', (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012). European Human Rights Law Review 2013, (3), 352-354.
• Murray C. Louise Doswald-Beck, Human Rights in Times of Conflict and Terrorism OUP, Oxford, 2011. Irish Jurist 2012, 47, 245-247.
• Murray C. Olásolo, H, 'The Criminal Responsibility of Senior Political and Military Leaders as Principals to International Crimes', Hart Publishing: Oxford, 2009. International Criminal Law Review 2012, 12(1), 110-114.
• Murray C. Publication Review: Terrorism and the Law. Criminal Law Review 2011, (12), 975-977.
• Murray C. Antje du Bois-Pedain, Transitional Amnesty in South Africa. International Criminal Law Review 2010, (1), 137-140.
• Murray C. Jocelyne Cesari (ed.), Muslims in the West after 9/11: Religion, Politics and Law. Ecclesiastical Law Journal 2010, 12(3), 393-396.
• Murray C. Louise Mallinder, Amnesty, Human Rights and Political Transitions. International Criminal Law Review 2009, 9(5), 860-866.
• Murray C. Oren Gross & Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Law in Times of Crisis. International Criminal Law Review 2008, 8(4), 687-689.