On January 24, 2025, the United Nations Security Council determined the date for a special election for the next judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It passed Security Council Resolution 2770 (2025), which set the date of election by the Security Council and General Assembly for May 27, 2025.
The ICJ was established in the Charter of the United Nations, and serves as the principal judicial body of the U.N. Its role is to settle disputes between states in accordance with international law and to respond to requests for advisory opinions on legal questions upon request by U.N. bodies.
The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected for nine-year terms. To maintain continuity, one-third of the judges are elected every three years, and in the event of a vacancy, a special election is held.
Procedures for the election of judges to the ICJ are set forth in Articles 2-15 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice. A plain language explanation of the procedures appears on the court’s website. The Security Council and General Assembly vote simultaneously. A candidate must receive an absolute majority in both bodies to be elected.
The current vacancy on the court is due to the retirement of Nawaf Salam, who has stepped down to become prime minister of his home country of Lebanon. He had been a judge of the ICJ since February 2018. The person elected on May 27th will serve the remainder of Salam’s term, which ends in February 2027.
Louis Myers, Law Library of Congress
February 12, 2025
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