Following is a list of Ethics Center publications that address international justice. Some publications on this page are available for viewing and download. PDFs of others may be requested by completing the online publication request form.
Oslo Recommendations for Enhancing the Legitimacy of International Courts
The participants of the 2018 session of the Brandeis Institute for International Judges lay out their recommendations to international courts with the aim of enhancing their institutional legitimacy. (3 pages)
The Authority of International Courts and Tribunals: Challenges and Prospects
Includes discussions on the role of international judges in building a coherent international legal order, internal aspects of the functioning of international courts and tribunals, and an evaluation of the performance of international courts and tribunals. (43 pages)
International Courts, Local Actors
Includes discussions on the international/local relationship in the pursuit of justice, international courts and local politics, the local impact of international justice, and the role of nongovernmental organizations in international justice. (72 pages)
View or download report (PDF)The International Rule of Law in a Human Rights Era
Includes discussions on the expanding impact of human rights law on international courts and tribunals, the national impact of international human rights norms, the universality of human rights, the role of of state engagement and diplomacy in international justice, and the future of international courts and tribunals. (62 pages)
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The International Rule of Law: Coordination and Collaboration in Global Justice
Includes discussions on the challenges of concurrent jurisdiction; power politics and international courts; the emergence of indigenous rights; and postservice considerations for the international judiciary. Also features a piece on Justice Louis Brandeis and how his methods may offer some inspiration for our century's concerns with securing the international order in a diverse and complex world. (54 pages)
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Toward an International Rule of Law
Includes discussions on the fairness and accessibility of international judicial institutions, the impact of international justice, the implications of diversity for an international rule of law, and issues of judicial independence in the international sphere. Also features a keynote address by United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Patricia O'Brien. (68 pages)
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International Justice: Past, Present and Future
Includes discussions on the interplay of international justice and politics, international justice in a human rights era, and language and international courts, and features "Harmonizing International Politics With Fundamental Human Rights and the Rule of Law: the 'Kadi' Judgment." (56 pages)
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Independence and Interdependence: The Delicate Balance of International Justice
Features breakout sessions with judges from human rights, criminal and interstate dispute courts conferring on issues specific to their work, and "Topics in Ethical Practice: Integrity and Interdependence — The Shaping of the Judicial Persona." (36 pages)
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Complementarity and Cooperation: International Courts in a Diverse World
Includes "Justice Without Borders" by Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, retired justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and "Topics in Ethical Practice: The Judiciary as a New Moral Authority?" (36 pages)
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Complementarity and Cooperation: The Challenges of International Justice
Includes "Topics in Ethical Practice." (32 pages)
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Authority and Autonomy: Defining the Role of International and Regional Courts
Includes "Toward the Development of Ethics Guidelines for International Courts." (33 pages)
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The New International Jurisprudence: Building Legitimacy for International Courts and Tribunals
Features the keynote address delivered by Hans Corell, former U.N. Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs. (30 pages)
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What Can International and Domestic Judges Learn From One Another?
A report on the North American Judicial Colloquium, which in November 2008 brought together U.S. and Canadian judges with international judges to weigh the influence of international law on domestic courts. (33 pages)
The Value of International Law for National Legal Systems
A complete report in Spanish and a summary in English for the South American Judicial Colloquium, organized in 2009 around the theme El Valor del Derecho Internacional respecto de los Sistemas Legales Nacionales ("The Value of International Law for National Legal Systems"). Twenty judges from eight South American countries came together with international judges and legal experts to discuss a number of pertinent topics, including the role of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the region, the use of international law and treaties in national courts, and what the "complementarity principle" of the International Criminal Court implies for national legal systems. (76 pages)
A report on two colloquia, in Dakar in 2006 and in Accra in 2007, during which international judges joined their national counterparts from around the West African region for dialogue about the increasing interconnections that exist between international and national justice. Published in English (36 pages) and French (39 pages).
The Challenges of International Criminal Justice
A report on the Colloquium for Prosecutors of International Tribunals, held in November 2004 in Arusha, Tanzania.
A report highlighting the work of the 2001-03 Brandeis International Fellows in Human Rights, Intervention and International Law. The report also documents the themes raised in the related symposium "Both Sides of the Bench," held April 1-3, 2003, at Brandeis University. (84 pages)
A report summarizing the proceedings of the Colloquium for Prosecutors of International Criminal Tribunals hosted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, from Nov. 25-27, 2004, in Arusha, Tanzania. Leigh Swigart, director of programs in international justice and society, served as an observer at the colloquium, and the center edited the subsequent report. (34 pages)
Based on interviews with more than 30 international judges, this book is the first comprehensive portrait of the men and women in this new global profession. Written by Daniel Terris, Cesare Romano and Leigh Swigart. (348 pages)
A report of the proceedings of a symposium held in Arusha, Tanzania, in November 2007. The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life was an organizing partner in this International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda event, and edited the report. (55 pages)
How should international law be applied in domestic courtrooms? Where can national judges learn about sources of international law? What are the different international courts and tribunals in operation today, and what is their significance for the work of national judges? These are some of the questions that have been discussed at the Brandeis Judicial Colloquia, which have brought together domestic judges in various regions of the world with their counterparts serving on the benches of international courts and tribunals.