The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and was established in 1945 under the UN Charter. The ICJ is located at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. The primary intent of the ICJ is to settle international legal disputes between states and to give advisory opinions to the other organs of the UN. Created right after the conclusion of the International Military Tribunal (the Nuremberg Trials) and the International Military Tribunal of the Far East (the Tokyo Trials), the ICJ was created at a time of rising interest and faith in international courts. The ICJ comprises fifteen judges serving nine-year terms, rotating five seats every three years. Judges of the Court are elected by an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the Security Council (SC). Members of the Court may not hold any other legal counsel or advisory position outside the Court during their term. Members are eligible for re-election, and every three years, the President and Vice-President of the Court are elected by secret ballot. The president’s roles include breaking tied votes, attending every session of the ICJ, and residing in The Hague. Furthermore, parties of the same interest and privy to a case that does not have a judge of its nationality on the Court may request an ad hoc judge. For example, in a two-party case in which both parties are of separate interest and do not have judges sitting on the Court, the parties may request two ad hoc judges for a total of seventeen judges.

Topic information to be posted soon.

Topic information to be posted soon.