International Court of Justice
The main judicial body of the United Nations, in The Hague. It settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions to UN bodies. Only states can bring cases to it.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
The Court
Worth knowing
- A state is bound only if it has agreed to the Court's jurisdiction, by treaty, by a special agreement or by a declaration.
- The ICJ does not try individuals. The International Criminal Court does that.
Compare International Court of Justice with another country →
Sources
Other systems
African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam
TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.
