LibGuides: United Nations Materials: Case Law

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has two roles: it decides cases of international law between separate countries and it issues advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by the UN. Its materials are published separately from the rest of the UN; thus, its cases and other materials are not found in the main databases that include other UN documents, such as UNBISnet and AccessUN. Instead, ICJ documents can be found in the materials described below:

1, Online Resources

ICJ Website
Includes text of all cases and advisory opinions since 1947, the rules of procedure, and other information on the history and structure of the court.
Westlaw: Search INT-ICJINT-ICJ database
Contains the judgments, opinions and orders of the ICJ from 1947 to 2000, with selective coverage from 2001 to the present.
LexisNexis: ALLICJ
Includes full text of judgments and advisory opinions from 1948 to the present and applications, written pleadings and orders from pending cases filed from 2004 onwards.

1, Print Resources

Reports of Judgements, Advisory Opinions and Orders. Recueil des Arrets, Avis Consultatifs et Ordonnances
Official compilation of the ICJ’s judgments, advisory opinions and orders. Most are bound, but the most recent decisions are separate slip opinions. In English and French.
Library: KZ214 .I58a (Stacks)

Permanent Court of International Justice

The Permanent Court of International Justice was the precursor to the International Court of Justice. Established in 1922, it was associated with, though not a part of, the League of Nations. It was dissolved in 1946.

1, Online Resources

ICJ Website
The ICJ Website includes a link to a page focused on the PCIJ. Here one can find decisions, pleadings, records of public hearings, rules of court, and many other materials, organized chronologically in different “Series” (A through F). There is also a catalog and subject index of all publications of the Court.
HeinOnline Foreign & International Law Resources Database (UCLA Only)
HeinOnline’s Foreign & International Law Resources Database also contains the full-text of the PCIJ series. This database is searchable, but the search capabilities are not adequate as of this writing and should not be relied upon for thorough research.

2, Print Resources

Publications of the Permanent Court of International Justice
These are the print versions of the cases and materials available at the ICJ Website.
Library: KZ 208-209 (Stacks)