Skip to Main Content

United Nations Research

What is the International Court of Justice?

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the judicial organ of the United Nations. Only states (nations) may submit disputes as parties to the ICJ.  The court also issues advisory opinions for United Nations organizations and agencies. The ICJ is based in The Hague, with 15 judges from different states.

  • Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders are available in print at the MacMillan Law Library (KZ214. I58). 
  • Judgments are available on Westlaw and Lexis.
  • The website of the International Court of Justice includes pdfs of judgments, orders, and other documents. It also has judgments of the predecessor Permanent Court of International Justice. The ICJ website includes written and oral statements that are part of a case's procedural history.
  • International Court of Justice judgments are reported in other publications, along with other international court judgments and national court decisions on international law.
    • International Legal Materials (KZ64 .I58).  Available online through Hein Online, Westlaw, and Lexis.
    • International Law Reports (KZ199 .I58).  Available online through Justis.
  • Hein Online's United Nations Law Collection includes the ICJ Reports and Yearbook, other UN yearbooks, and UN conferences on international law.
  • Oxford Reports on International Law includes judgments of the ICJ.