Swedish Professor Joins Group That Nominates World Court Judges
Professor Mark Klamberg.
The Swedish government on Thursday (May 21, 2026) appointed law professor Mark Klamberg at Stockholm University, as member to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague — an institution whose most consequential function today is nominating judges to the world’s highest court.
The PCA, established in 1899 and revised in 1907, predates both the League of Nations court (Permanent Court of International Justice, PCIJ) and the United Nations’ International Court of Justice (ICJ). Though it arbitrates fewer disputes now — other dispute settlement mechanisms such as the ICJ have largely taken over that role — it retains a significant behind-the-scenes function: each member country appoints four experts to a national group, and that group is responsible for formally nominating candidates for seats on the ICJ.
Professor Klamberg is now one of Sweden’s four such members.
“I will serve as part of the national group responsible for nominating ICJ judges,” Klamberg said. “I think it’s an interesting and important assignment, because it requires — and which I will strive to live up to — a thorough knowledge of potential and suitable candidates for the ICJ.”
While the P.C.A. group nominates candidates, the final Swedish vote on who is actually elected to the ICJ bench remains the prerogative of the government.
Mark Klamberg is a professor of public international law at Stockholm University’s Department of Law, affiliated with the SCGG.
Last updated: 2026-05-26
Source: Department of Political Science