International Court of Justice
| International Court of Justice | |
|---|---|
| Cour internationale de justice | |
International Court of Justice Seal
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| Established | 1945 |
| Country | Worldwide, 193 State Parties |
| Location | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Coordinates | 52°05′11.76″N 4°17′43.80″E / 52.0866000°N 4.2955000°ECoordinates: 52°05′11.76″N 4°17′43.80″E / 52.0866000°N 4.2955000°E |
| Authorized by | |
| Judge term length | 9 years |
| Number of positions | 15 |
| Website | www.icj-cij.org |
| President | |
| Currently | Ronny Abraham |
| Since | 6 February 2015 |
| Lead position ends | 5 February 2018 |
| Vice President | |
| Currently | Abdulqawi Yusuf |
| Since | 6 February 2015 |
| Lead position ends | 5 February 2018 |
The International Court of Justice (French: Cour internationale de justice; commonly referred to as the World Court or ICJ) is the primary judicial branch of the United Nations (UN). Seated in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, the court settles legal disputes submitted to it by states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international branches, agencies, and the UN General Assembly.
Established in 1945 by the UN Charter, the Court began work in 1946 as the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice. The Statute of the International Court of Justice, similar to that of its predecessor, is the main constitutional document constituting and regulating the Court.
The Court's workload covers a wide range of judicial activity. After the court ruled that the United States's covert war against Nicaragua was in violation of international law (Nicaragua v. United States), the United States withdrew from compulsory jurisdiction in 1986 to accept the court's jurisdiction only on a case-by-case basis.Chapter XIV of the United Nations Charter authorizes the UN Security Council to enforce Court rulings. However, such enforcement is subject to the veto power of the five permanent members of the Council, which the United States used in the Nicaragua case.
The ICJ is composed of fifteen judges elected to nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council from a list of people nominated by the national groups in the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The election process is set out in Articles 4–19 of the ICJ statute. Elections are staggered, with five judges elected every three years to ensure continuity within the court. Should a judge die in office, the practice has generally been to elect a judge in a special election to complete the term.
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