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
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Keep in mind:
Binding only on the parties
 Not precedential
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Decisions of International Courts
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Tools for identifying and finding cases:
Secondary Sources
 Digests
 Reporters & Internet sites of specific courts
 Multinational sources
 Subject-specific compilations
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International Courts: Digests
World Court Digest
 HUDOC – European Court on Human
Rights Portal
 International Law Reports (ILR)
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International Courts: Digests
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International Law Reports
Available only in print
 Best source for full text opinions in English
 Best source for finding recent decisions
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ICJ
 International courts and tribunals
 Administrative Tribunal ILO
 National Courts
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From 1919 to present
 KZ 199.I58 (1st floor of Library)
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International Courts: Internet sites
International Court of Justice
 European Court of Justice
 Inter-American Court of Human Rights
 Special Court for Sierra Leone
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Many more listed in handout!
International Courts:
Compiled Sources
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International Legal Materials
Available in print and electronic
 Hein Online (use for browsing)
 Lexis, Westlaw (use for searching)
 Internet – Table of Contents
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International Legal Materials (ILM)
In print / Westlaw / Lexis / Internet / HeinOnline
International Courts:
Compiled Sources
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Journals summarizing decisions
American Journal of International Law
 European Journal of International Law
 Human Rights Law Journal
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International Courts:
Subject-specific compilations
Human Rights Cases (Westlaw, Lexis)
 International Trade Law Reports
 International Environmental Law Reports
 Global War Crimes Tribunal Collection
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Decisions of national courts
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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.
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Decisions of national courts
GlobalCourts www.globalcourts.com
Supreme Court decisions from 129 countries
 Coverage varies among all courts
 Keyword and phrase searching
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Decisions of national courts
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Foreign Law Guide
Not free
 Guide to foreign law sources
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Library of Congress Nations of the World
Free, Internet
 Browse by country
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International Legal Materials
Decisions of National Courts
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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
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Search online catalog under subject headings:
1. “international law” + yearbooks
2. “international law” + yearbooks + [country]
Decisions of national courts
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International decisions in U.S. courts
American Law Reports, Federal
 West digest
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International Law
 Treaties
385
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221
Research Guides
ASIL Research Guides - General
 Guide to Researching the ICJ – Specific
 Cornell Legal Research Engine
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Cornell Legal Search Engine
Project on International Courts and Tribunals
Questions?