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Verdicts: What are they and how do they work?

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One of the key differences between the ICJ and other committees is that the ICJ does not concern itself with resolutions. Instead, as judges of the court, you will be expected to formulate Verdicts at the end of debate. Verdicts are documents that judges of the ICJ use to declare their ruling on the case. Just as a resolution is a reasoned reflection of one’s stance in committee, so too is the Verdict the culmination of arguments and evidence made throughout the course of the conference. In order to form your Verdicts, you will form a group of 4 or 5 with other fellow judges and write your Verdicts during unmoderated caucus sessions in the latter part of committee. Verdicts in the ICJ at BMUN should be comprised of three primary sections: Overall Ruling, Evidence, and Legal Precedent and Implications. The Overall Ruling section deals with presenting your group’s ruling in terms of the four Levels of Guilt**. Here, explicitly address the Levels of Guilt your group has chosen to app
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Witnesses in the ICJ Committee

Hi delegates! This week's blog post will be discussing witnesses and how they play a role in our committee and in the actual ICJ. It is very worthy of noting that witness testimony in the ICJ for both parties involved play a vital role in deciding the outcome of the case. This is due to the fact that various witness testimonies can be very helpful and reliable in deciding whether the faults of each party/country are actually valid. Witness testimony can possibly affirm the respondent party's accusation or refute it, so it is a very large deciding factor. At BMUN's conference, we will have approximately two to three witnesses be introduced in committee for each day of conference. Witnesses will vary from each party (Georgia v. Russia). For example, one of our witnesses will be the Georgian President in 2008 testifying under oath, to various legal scholars who will be able to clarify Russia's supposed violations of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimin
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Tensions in South Ossetia

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Hi delegates! This blog post will be reviewing the role of South Ossetia in the conflict between Georgia and Russia, specifically focusing on the events of 2008 and ethnic conflict within the region.                 For reference, South Ossetia is located along the Georgian-Russian border. Separatist sentiments have been brewing within South Ossetia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The region of Ossetia, as seen in the map, is split between Georgia and Russia. Both North and South Ossetia are primarily occupied by Ossetians, a unique ethnic group which speaks neither Georgian nor Russian. However, South Ossetia had a significant population of ethnic Georgians living within the region before the conflict; the treatment of ethnic Georgians in the region is one of the central issues which our case will be studying.                 While South Ossetia and Abkhazia are both contested territories, South Ossetia is unique because it is located near the Georgia
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Legal Terms for Georgia v. Russia

Hi Delegates!  I hope your February has gotten off to a spectacular start.  By now, you've hopefully begun perusing materials related to Georgia v. Russia , and more likely than not have been encountering a thick web of legalese to sort through while you research.  Have no fear--below is a short list of a few of the most relevant legal terms to know to make your reading a bit easier and your understanding of the case a bit better. Prima facie: based on the first impression.  This is generally a fact or circumstances that are accepted as established unless proven otherwise.  Example: "...the Court explains that it is for it to determine prima facie whether a dispute within the meaning of Article 22 of CERD exists." ( Request for the indication of provisional measures, ICJ Summary of the Order , 4)  Provisional measures: Provisional measures for protection are interim, or temporary orders issued by the ICJ that are roughly analogous to restraining orders.  Issued orde
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More on Position Papers

As you prepare for conference, your position paper will be one of your most indispensable tools. Not only will you use your position papers to solidify your position and arguments in committee, but you will also find the process of writing and researching for your position papers to be rewarding in and of itself. This case, while being somewhat complicated, is also deeply fascinating and I hope you guys get to see some of that through your research. The first of the three major sections of the position paper is Historical Background. Here, you’re expected to show clear understanding of the key events leading up to and during the Russo-Georgian war of 2008, around which our case revolves. In order to effectively demonstrate this, you must highlight the intricate political dynamic between not only the main parties involved, Georgia and Russia, but also the maneuvering around the regional governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, who also serve as major players in this conflict. Cons
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Preliminary Objections: Article 22 of CERD

Hi Delegates!      Preliminary objections are an important facet of international law and the ICJ. According to the Oxford Scholarly Authorities on International Law , a preliminary objection is “a formal step by which a respondent raises a question which it contends should be dealt with separately, before any other issue in the proceedings is examined.” Preliminary objections are submitted prior to the start of the case; if the Court rules to uphold these objections, the case will not proceed. One of the most common types of preliminary objections is questioning the jurisdiction of the Court, as seen in our case Georgia v. Russian Federation. Interestingly, the ICJ uses treaties and international law as a basis for establishing whether or not they have jurisdiction in their own cases.           The preliminary objections in Georgia v. Russian Federation, submitted by Russia, are centered around Article 22 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
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What is the International Court of Justice?

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Hello delegates! Our first blogpost will be an introduction to what the International Court of Justice is and what purpose it serves. To begin with, the ICJ is the only judicial branch of the United Nations and assists in resolving various disputes between member nations and other arbitration.  It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946. The ICJ is located in The Hague in Netherlands.  In terms of how the Court functions, there are fifteen judges that sit on the Court and resolve cases; each of the judges is appointed from a different country. They are elected to nine-year terms, as opposed to the United States' Supreme Court, which appoints judges for life.  As mentioned in the topic synopsis for this committee, the ICJ solves disputes for two types of cases: advisory proceedings and contentious cases. Contentious cases are just disputes between two member countries that must reach a conclusion (i.e. Georgia v. Russia) a
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