Locating International Decisions
Margaret ClarkReference LibrarianFSU College of Law Research CenterOctober 2007
Sources of International Law
Article 38, Statute Establishing the ICJPrimary Sources
International conventions International customGeneral principles
Secondary Sources Judicial decisions Teachings of publicists
Judicial Decisions
Defined by Article 59, ICJ Statute as:Decisions of international tribunalsDecisions of national courts addressing
international lawKeep in mind:
Binding only on the partiesNot precedential
Decisions of International Courts
Tools for finding cases:Secondary SourcesDigestsReporters & Internet sites of specific courtsMultinational sourcesSubject-specific compilations
International Courts: Digests
World Court DigestHUDOC – European Court on Human
Rights PortalInternational Law Reports (ILR)
International Courts: Digests
International Law ReportsAvailable only in printBest source for full text opinions in EnglishBest source for finding recent decisions
ICJ International courts and tribunalsAdministrative Tribunal ILONational Courts
From 1919 to presentKZ 199.I58 (1st floor of Library)
International Courts: Internet sites
International Court of JusticeEuropean Court of JusticeInter-American Court of Human RightsSpecial Court for Sierra Leone
Many more listed in handout!
International Courts: Compiled Sources
International Legal MaterialsAvailable in print and electronicHein Online (use for browsing)Lexis, Westlaw (use for searching) Internet – Table of Contents
International Legal Materials (ILM)
In print / Westlaw / Lexis / Internet / HeinOnline
International Courts: Compiled Sources
Journals summarizing decisionsAmerican Journal of International LawEuropean Journal of International LawHuman Rights Law Journal
Human Rights Cases (Westlaw, Lexis)International Trade Law ReportsInternational Environmental Law ReportsGlobal War Crimes Tribunal Collection
International Courts: Subject-specific compilations
Decisions of national courts
Free Internet source Coverage varies among all courtsFew courts go back to 1940’sMost have cases from 1990’s
Decisions of national courts
International Law in Domestic Courts (ILDC) DatabaseAvailable from Law Library List of Databasescontains English translations from over 65
jurisdictions Also contains scholarly commentary on
important points of international law. Cases date back to 2000 can be searched by country, keyword or full text
search.
Decisions of national courts
Foreign Law GuideNot freeGuide to foreign law sources
International Legal MaterialsLibrary of Congress Nations of the World
Free, InternetBrowse by country
Decisions of National Courts
National yearbooks summarize casesAfrican Yearbook on International LawBritish Yearbook on International LawChinese Yearbook on International Law and
AffairsYearbook on United Nations Law
Search online catalog under subject headings:
1. “international law” + yearbooks
2. “international law” + yearbooks + [country]
Decisions of national courts
Collections of court reportsAmerican International Law CasesBritish International Law Cases
International decisions in U.S. American Law Reports, FederalWest digest
International Law 221Treaties 385
Research Guides
ASIL Research Guides - GeneralGuide to Researching the ICJ – SpecificCornell Legal Research Engine
Cornell Legal Search Engine
Project on International Courts and Tribunals
Questions?
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