The United States of America today expressed strong support to the candidacy of Judge Joan E. Donoghue for re-election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2014.
In her press statement in Washington DC, US Department Spokesperson says Judge Donoghue has served with distinction as an ICJ judge since her election by the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly on September 9, 2010 to complete the term of Judge Thomas Buergenthal.
Judge Donoghue, Distinguished International Judge
Before joining the Court, Judge Donoghue had a long and distinguished career in the service of international law including serving as the senior career lawyer at the State Department and teaching at several U.S. law schools.
The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and plays a vital role in the development of international law, in dispute resolution and in the promotion of the rule of law.
Elections to fill judicial vacancies on the ICJ for the term running from 2015 until 2024 will be held during the UN General Assembly session in 2014.
Who is Joan E. Donoghue?
The United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly elected Joan E. Donoghue on Semptember 2010 to become a Judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Judge Donoghue was a State Department lawyer from 1984 to 1999 and again from 2005 to the present.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Donoghue as “judicious, fair, an extraordinary international legal counsel, and an excellent choice for the Court.”
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Established in 1945, the ICJ settles legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by other authorized UN organs.
Georgia Law’s 108th Sibley Lecturer
Judge Donoghue was Georgia Law’s 108th Sibley Lecturer. She described the International Court of Justice as a “potent” force in international law.
According to Georgia Law, the judge said she chose the word “potent” deliberately, as a medicine can be potent but so can a poison, and the court is often judged to be one of the two.
“Donoghue explored these opposing views and educated a packed Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom about this judicial body and its role in the growing area of international law and dispute resolution authorities.”
The International Court of Justice has 15 judges, each one from a different country around the world. The Court hears two types of cases – one type to hear disputes between two states and the other type to render an advisory opinion in response to other organs of the U.N. The U.S. supports Joan E. Donoghue for one of those seats.
