International Court of Justice

The primary purpose of the Model International Court of Justice (MICJ) is to resolve territorial and other disputes between members of the United Nations in accordance with international law and legal precedence. Member-states of the UN that submit disputes to the ICJ agree that the decisions of the court are legally-binding upon both parties to the disputes. The ICJ may also issue advisory opinions on legal issues when asked to do so by committees of the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, or agencies affiliated with the UN.

Composition of the ICJ

The ICJ is composed of 15 judges represented by QUBMUN participants. In their positions on the ICJ, the judges do not officially represent their respective governments. However, in the event that a case involves the government of one of the judges, that judge is prohibited from participating in case deliberations and opinion writing, although they are allowed to participate in oral arguments, rebuttals, and questions.

Staff of the ICJ:

• Coordinator - individual who is responsible for administering the court.

• Applicants - individuals who represent the parties that initiated the submission of the disputes to the ICJ.

• Respondents - individuals who represent the parties that agreed to the submission of the disputes to the ICJ, but did not initiate the submission of the disputes to the ICJ.

Jurisdiction:

 The MICJ has jurisdiction over disputes between member-states under one or more of the following conditions:

• When both of the parties to a dispute have agreed to submit the dispute to the ICJ;

• When one of the parties to a dispute has submitted the dispute to the ICJ in cases whereby the dispute involves the interpretation or application of a treaty ratified by two or more parties.

• When the dispute involves two or more member-states that have agreed in advance to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ.

Procedures:

 Election of the President of the ICJ - the 15 judges elect one of their number to serve as President.

Submission of Written Pleadings - all of the parties to each of the disputes are required to submit a typed-written document summarizing their respective governments' positions (including the facts and the legal arguments concerning the case) prior to the convening of the first session of the ICJ.

Oral Arguments - each of the parties to the dispute (applicant and respondent) are given 15 minutes each to orally present a summary of their governments' position regarding the case.

Rebuttals - following the oral arguments, each of the parties to the dispute are given a total of 15 minutes (approximately 7 1/2 minutes each) to present their rebuttals to the opposing party's oral arguments.

Questions - following the oral arguments and rebuttals, the 15 judges have a total of 30 minutes to ask questions of one or both of the parties to the dispute. The President of the ICJ shall recognize judges to ask questions.

Case Deliberations - following the oral arguments, rebuttals, and questions, the 15 judges of the ICJ meet in the chambers in private for a total of 60 minutes to discuss the case.  All observers, applicants, and respondents are required to leave the chambers. Only the Coordinator is permitted to remain in the chambers in order to assist the judges in their deliberations. During this period, the judges may choose to take a vote regarding the pending case. A "majority opinion" requires the approval of a majority of the judges participating in the deliberations (e.g. 8 out of 15 judges).

Writing of the Opinion - following the deliberations, the 15 judges meet in the chambers in private for an additional 60 minutes to write the majority opinion regarding the pending case. All of the judges that agree with the opinion must sign the document on the last page. All of the judges that do not agree with the majority opinion may choose to write one or more dissenting opinions explaining their reasons for opposing the majority. Only the Coordinator is permitted to remain in the chambers in order to assist the judges in their writing of the majority opinion and dissenting opinions.

Reading of the Opinion - following the writing of the opinions, the President of the ICJ publicly reads the majority opinion (regardless of whether or not s/he signed the opinion) regarding the pending case. Observers, applicants, and respondents are allowed in the chambers for the reading of the opinions.