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Article: Judging the illegality of nuclear weapons: Arms control moves to the World Court
- Article from:
- Arms Control Today
- Article date:
- February 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Arms Control Association Feb 1996. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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At precisely 10 a.m. on October 30, 1995, the 14 judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), popularly known as the World Court, took their seats in the Peace Palace in The Hague to hear oral arguments in one of the more momentous cases in the court's history. The case represents the most concerted effort to date to apply the laws and norms of the international legal system to the process of nuclear disarmament. In effect, the court has been asked to judge the legality of nuclear weapons.
Specifically, the ICJ has been asked to render "advisory opinions" on the legality of the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons under international law. The judges are now considering two ...