The dispute settlement function of the International Court of Justice

Is the proper dispute settlement function of the International Court of Justice to ensure transactional justice in the case before it or a wider one of contributing to world order? The Court is, on the one hand, not the world’s constitutional court. It does, on the other, possess distinct features, such as geographic and subject-matter universality, which set it apart from other international jurisdictions. When the two dispute settlement functions of world order and transactional justice have come into conflict with one another, the former has prevailed on the basis of representing the more fundamental value.

Bio

Eirik Bjørge is a Professor at the University of Bristol, where he teaches Public International Law and International Human Rights Law. Alongside his academic writing and teaching, he practises as counsel before international courts and tribunals. In 2026, he was appointed an Honorary King's Counsel in England and Wales.

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