What is the International Court of Justice (ICJ)?

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, based in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICJ is composed of 15 international judges from different countries who are elected to nine-year terms by both the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. The ICJ is often referred to as the “World Court” and is the only international court of its kind. Its primary purpose is to settle disputes between states in accordance with international law. The ICJ has jurisdiction in cases of international disputes brought by states. It also has the authority to make advisory opinions concerning legal questions submitted to it by the UN and its organs, such as the UN Security Council. In these cases, the opinions of the ICJ are not binding, but they carry immense moral and political weight. The jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice is limited to California in so far as disputes between countries that both have legal ties to California are concerned. To qualify as a legal tie, at least one of the countries must have signed a treaty that invokes the jurisdiction of the ICJ or have declared the ICJ jurisdiction in line with the UN Charter. Therefore, the ICJ has jurisdiction in disputes between the United States and other countries that have signed an applicable treaty or declared the jurisdiction of the ICJ in accordance with the UN Charter.

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What is the International Court of Justice (ICJ)?

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