Security Council, General Assembly Fill Remaining Vacancy on International Court of Justice by Electing Fifth Judge

The Security Council, meeting independently from but concurrently with the General Assembly, today elected the final judge for the International Court of Justice.  The vacancy had to be filled in February 2015, when the terms of five members would expire.

Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica) was elected for a nine-year term beginning on 6 February 2015, joining those elected on 6 November from a list of eight candidates after four rounds of voting (see Press Release SC/11634).

Under the terms of the Court’s Statute, candidates must receive an absolute majority in simultaneous votes in the Council and the General Assembly.

Prior to the election, Gary Quinlan (Australia), Council President for the month, announced he had received a letter dated 11 November 2014 from the Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations, communicating the decision to withdraw the nomination of Susana Ruiz Cerutti (Argentina) to the Court.  Ms. Cerutti had been in a five-round voting standoff with Mr. Robinson on 7 November, the last time the two bodies had convened to find a candidate.

The Court’s composition at 6 February 2015, in addition to Mr. Robinson, will be as follows (terms expire on 5 February of the year in parentheses):  Peter Tomka, Slovakia (2021); Ronny Abraham, France (2018); Mohamed Bennouna, Morocco (2024); Dalveer Bhandari, India (2018); Joan E. Donoghue, United States (2024); Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, Brazil (2018); Giorgio Gaja, Italy (2021); Christopher Greenwood, United Kingdom (2018); James Richard Crawford (Australia) (2024); Hisashi Owada, Japan (2021); Xue Hanqin, China (2021); Julia Sebutinde, Uganda (2021); Kirill Gevorgian, Russian Federation (2024); and Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, Somalia (2018).

Located in The Hague, Netherlands, the International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.  Composed of 15 judges, it adjudicates disputes between States and its legal opinions are binding.  The Court also issues advisory opinions when requested to do so.

The meeting began at 3:10 p.m. and ended at 3:45 p.m.

Voting Results