International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC)
| Parameter | ICJ | ICC |
|---|
| Purpose | Resolves legal disputes between consenting states | Prosecutes individuals for international crimes |
| Jurisdiction | Contentious and advisory | Prosecutorial and judicial |
| Membership | 193 member states | 123 member states |
| Judges | 15 judges appointed by the General Assembly and Security Council | 18 judges elected by member states, each judge serves a nine-year term |
| Prosecutors | N/A | 1 Chief Prosecutor and several Deputy Prosecutors |
| Cases heard | Legal disputes between states, including issues of boundary disputes, territorial sovereignty, and human rights | War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression |
| Location | The Hague, Netherlands | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Examples of cases heard | Nicaragua v. United States (1986), Germany v. Italy (2012) | Thomas Lubanga, Joseph Kony, Jean-Pierre Bemba |
| Binding decisions | Contentious jurisdiction decisions are binding on parties | Judgments and orders are binding on parties and states parties to the Rome Statute |
| Non-binding decisions | Advisory opinions are non-binding, but can carry normative weight | N/A |
It's worth noting that while the ICJ and ICC have some similarities, they serve very different purposes and have different jurisdictions. The ICJ is a generalist court that resolves legal disputes between consenting states, while the ICC is a specialized court that prosecutes individuals for serious international crimes.
