International Court of Justice

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The Court 

• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). 
• It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations. The Court began in April 1946.
• It was a successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice.
• The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hauge (Netherlands).
• Of the six principal organs of the United Nations it is only one which is not located in New York (United States of America).
• The Court's role is to settle in accordance with International law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by the authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.
• The Court is composed of 15 judges who were elected for a term of nine years, with five judges elected every three years.
• The official languages of the ICJ are English and French.

Jurisdiction of ICJ

• The International Court of Justice act as a world court.
• The Court has two types of Jurisdiction (a) contentious cases   and   (b) Advisory Opinion
• In contentious cases, the ICJ produces a binding rule between the States that agree to submit to the ruling of the Court.
• In Advisory Opinion, it is open only to the specified United Nations bodies and agencies.

Law applied

• When deciding cases, the Court applies International law as summarized in the Article 38 of the ICJ Statute, applying international conventions, international customs, and the general principal of law recognized by the civilized nations.