Watch this video or read through the text below it for an overview of the International Court of Justice and how to find cases:

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 and began work in April 1946.

The Court's role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States (Contentious cases ) and to give advisory opinions (Advisory proceedings) on legal questions referred to it ,by duly authorised United Nations organs and specialised agencies.

The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.

Note: Decisions of the Court are only legally binding on the parties to the dispute and have no precedential value in a formal sense.

Finding reports of judgments, advisory opinions and orders

The official reporter is the International Court of Justice, reports of judgments, advisory opinions and orders. Find this in the Beasley Law Library Journal Collection on Level 3 at P 346.4 or online via Hein Online. The full text of judgments, summaries of judgments, individual opinions of judges, orders and oral proceedings are available for most cases. 

Alternatively, the Oxford Reports on International Law provides the full text and additional citator information such as links to journal articles and cases that discuss each case. For more information on this database, please look in the Law Reports tab. Or view the International Law Reports  available from Welshpool store or the Beasley Law Library Journal Collection at P 346.4.