International Court of Justice

Q & A

What is ICJ?

ICJ stands for the International Court of Justice. This is the United Nations organ that handles legal disputes between countries. When there are cases against individuals, it is handled by ICC (International Criminal Court).

How is ICJ different from usual committees?

In ICJ, you are a judge observing a trial. Witnesses will testify to what they saw happen and you will be given the opportunity to ask them questions to understand the case fully. After that you will render a decision on if the accused country is guilty or not. In this, you use your personal opinion and not that of your country to make decisions. You will make speeches in an attempt to get other judges to agree with you. You will also participate in caucuses to accomplish the same goal.

What if I have never participated in ICJ before?

That is completely alright! This is a novice committee designed to educate newcomers on this exciting committee. The purpose of our novice ICJ is to introduce new options to novice delegates. Your chairs will be more than happy to address any questions or concerns you have before or during the conference. You can contact us at either pnikolic@hightechhigh.org or edelaney@hightechhigh.org.

How am I graded in the ICJ committee?

Grading for the ICJ committee is very similar to other committees. You are graded mostly on the relevancy and depth of the questions you ask of the witnesses and lawyers. You are also graded on caucuses, substantive debate speeches, policy papers, and diplomacy.

How do we reach a verdict?

Within committee you will hear substantive debate speeches regarding other judges personal opinions on the case. You will also be given ample time to caucus with other judges. Once you have all reached a unanimous decision you are asked to either write a memoriam or an advisory opinion paper. A memoriam is an official document taking decisive action against a guilty party (or country). An advisory opinion is usually drafted for one of the GA (General Assembly) committees. Advisory opinion papers to not take any sort of action or do not call for any punishment, they are simply the official, appropriate way to advise a GA committee on how to handle a legal situation of international proportions. Both a memoriam and an advisory opinion should be written as a group and signed by all 15 ICJ judges.

What if we can't reach an agreement on a verdict?

All ICJ verdicts must be unanimous. However, if there are a few judges who feel differently, they are allowed to file an Amendment along with the official memoriam/advisory opinion. The amendment is kept with the verdict at all times as recognition of varied opinions between judges. Although an amendment is an important document of the ICJ, it does not take action and does not, under any circumstance, override the verdict or decisions made in the memoriam/advisory opinion. Amendments must be signed by the supporting judge or judges.

Do Big 5 countries have any special privileges like in Security Council?

No, the Big 5 countries do not hold any sort of superiority in ICJ. In fact, it does not matter what country you are representing. The judges of the ICJ are instructed to argue, discuss, and reach a verdict solely based on their own personal beliefs.