The Role of the Election System of the Judges of the International Court of Justice in Ensuring Its Judicial Independence

The Impartiality of the judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is one of the requirements of its judicial independence. The procedure of electing ICJ judges is an important factor in ensuring their impartiality. The main purpose of the UN Charter’s provisions on the election of ICJ judges is to prevent the interference of governments in the process in order to ensure the integrity of the Court. This is done, in the first stage, by nomination of the candidates through the national groups of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and a dual election system involving the General Assembly and the Security Council, in the second stage. The involvement of these two organs reflects a compromise between the thinking and interests of powerful states in having their own judges in the Court and the interests of other states who wished to be on an equal footing with the great powers. This article examines each of these steps in the process of electing judges, and seeks to answer whether the system of electing ICJ judges and its functionality is such that it can prevent the political interference of governments, and consequently, ensure and maintain the impartiality of the judges.