Speakers

Greg Danz, JD

Legal Counsel, Republic of the Marshall Islands
former Attorney General and Nuclear Tribunal judge, Republic of the Marshall Islands

Gregory Danz, JD, is an attorney and former judge with more than four decades of experience in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, with particular emphasis on the legal, political, and historical issues arising from the Compact of Free Association between the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and government of the United States including the nuclear weapons testing program in the Marshall Islands. His career has included service as Attorney General of the Marshall Islands, Judge and Acting Chairman of the Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal, and legal advisor to the Marshall Islands Government in negotiations and
implementation of the Compact of Free Association with the United States.

Mr. Danz began his legal career in the Marshall Islands in 1981 as Assistant Attorney General and served as Attorney General from 1985 to 1991. During this period, he advised the Marshall Islands Government on the implementation of the original Compact of Free Association, including the Section 177 Agreement, which established a $150 million Nuclear Claims Fund and the Nuclear Claims Tribunal to address claims for personal injury, property damage, and other consequences of the U.S. nuclear testing program conducted between 1946 and 1958.

From 1993 to 2009, Mr. Danz served as a Judge of the Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal, including service as Acting Chairman. The Tribunal was established to adjudicate claims arising from the 67 nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States in the Marshall Islands. His work involved the evaluation of extensive medical, scientific, radiological, and environmental evidence concerning the consequences of nuclear testing, as well as the development of procedures and legal standards for the fair adjudication of claims. This experience provided him with a unique perspective on the human, environmental, and economic consequences of nuclear testing and the substantial challenges involved in providing meaningful compensation to affected Marshallese communities.

He presently serves as legal advisor to the Marshall Islands Compact Negotiations Office, participating in negotiations with the United States concerning amendments to the Compact of Free Association.

Mr. Danz received his Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1977 and graduated magna cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1974.