Transcript Slide 1
Locating International Decisions
Margaret Clark
Reference Librarian
FSU College of Law Research Center
October 2007
Sources of International Law
Article 38, Statute Establishing the ICJ
Primary Sources
International conventions
International custom
General principles
Secondary Sources
Judicial decisions
Teachings of publicists
Judicial Decisions
Defined by Article 59, ICJ Statute as:
Decisions of international tribunals
Decisions of national courts addressing
international law
Keep in mind:
Binding only on the parties
Not precedential
Decisions of International Courts
Tools for identifying and finding cases:
Secondary Sources
Digests
Reporters & Internet sites of specific courts
Multinational sources
Subject-specific compilations
International Courts: Digests
World Court Digest
HUDOC – European Court on Human
Rights Portal
International Law Reports (ILR)
International Courts: Digests
International Law Reports
Available only in print
Best source for full text opinions in English
Best source for finding recent decisions
ICJ
International courts and tribunals
Administrative Tribunal ILO
National Courts
From 1919 to present
KZ 199.I58 (1st floor of Library)
International Courts: Internet sites
International Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Special Court for Sierra Leone
Many more listed in handout!
International Courts:
Compiled Sources
International Legal Materials
Available in print and electronic
Hein 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 decisions
American Journal of International Law
European Journal of International Law
Human Rights Law Journal
International Courts:
Subject-specific compilations
Human Rights Cases (Westlaw, Lexis)
International Trade Law Reports
International Environmental Law Reports
Global War Crimes Tribunal Collection
Decisions of national courts
International Law in Domestic Courts
(ILDC) Database
Available from Law Library List of Databases
contains 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
GlobalCourts www.globalcourts.com
Supreme Court decisions from 129 countries
Coverage varies among all courts
Keyword and phrase searching
Decisions of national courts
Foreign Law Guide
Not free
Guide to foreign law sources
Library of Congress Nations of the World
Free, Internet
Browse by country
International Legal Materials
Decisions of National Courts
National yearbooks summarize cases
African Yearbook on International Law
British Yearbook on International Law
Chinese Yearbook on International Law and
Affairs
Yearbook on United Nations Law
Search online catalog under subject headings:
1. “international law” + yearbooks
2. “international law” + yearbooks + [country]
Decisions of national courts
International decisions in U.S. courts
American Law Reports, Federal
West digest
International Law
Treaties
385
221
Research Guides
ASIL Research Guides - General
Guide to Researching the ICJ – Specific
Cornell Legal Research Engine
Cornell Legal Search Engine
Project on International Courts and Tribunals
Questions?