Should Judges Be Front-Runners? The ICJ, State Immunity and the Protection of Fundamental Human Rights

MAX PLANCK YEARBOOK OF UNITED NATIONS LAW, Vol. 16, pp. 1-34, A. von Bogdandy, R. Wolfrum, eds., 2012

34 Pages Posted: 16 Sep 2012 Last revised: 29 Oct 2012

See all articles by Markus Krajewski

Markus Krajewski

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg - Law School

Christopher Singer

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg - Law School

Date Written: September 16, 2012

Abstract

The present essay critically analyses the ICJ’s ruling in Jurisdictional Immunities of the State (Germany v. Italy). To contextualize the Court’s judgment the essay begins with a brief reflection on the law of state immunity and recalls the historical and factual background of the case. The essay then discusses the ICJ’s analysis of the claims of the parties. The main focus is not a challenge of the conclusions of the Court based on a positivist approach to customary international law. Instead, it is argued that faced with a methodological challenge and an institutional dilemma concerning the determination of customary international law, the Court opted for an approach which did not serve the progressive development of international law well.

Keywords: ICJ, state immunity, human rights, customary international law

Suggested Citation

Krajewski, Markus and Singer, Christopher, Should Judges Be Front-Runners? The ICJ, State Immunity and the Protection of Fundamental Human Rights (September 16, 2012). MAX PLANCK YEARBOOK OF UNITED NATIONS LAW, Vol. 16, pp. 1-34, A. von Bogdandy, R. Wolfrum, eds., 2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2147386

Markus Krajewski (Contact Author)

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg - Law School ( email )

91054, Erlangen
Germany

Christopher Singer

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg - Law School ( email )

91054, Erlangen
Germany

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