Call for Papers: Choosing the Bench – Selection and Standards in International Adjudication

Upcoming judicial elections in 2026 across several major international courts, including the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, bring renewed attention to nomination and voting practices, evaluation criteria, and institutional expectations placed upon candidates. The expert meeting at Utrecht University on 9 September seeks to use this convergence of institutional moments as an opportunity to examine these procedures and practices in an interdisciplinary manner, starting from Article 2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice. You are kindly invited to submit an abstract on suggested themes by 19 June 2026. For more details, see below or go directly to our Call for Papers.

The foundational starting point of the Meeting will be Article 2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice: “The Court shall be composed of a body of independent judges, elected regardless of their nationality from among persons of high moral character, who possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices, or are jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law.” 

Selection: formal and political requirements

The institutional foundations of international courts remain rooted in intergovernmental design. Judges are typically nominated and elected by States, through diplomatic processes and national procedures for nomination that vary considerably across institutions. Formal eligibility requirements exist, yet their interpretation and application differ in practice, and election and selection procedures rarely follow a uniform model. As a result, international adjudicators simultaneously operate as independent judicial actors and as the product of political selection processes. This dual character has drawn growing attention to the relationship between methods of appointment, judicial independence, and the perceived legitimacy of international adjudication.

Increased public and political scrutiny

The professional role and conduct of international judges have also become subject to increasing public, political, and institutional scrutiny. Questions have arisen concerning extra-judicial activities, academic engagement, authorship practices, and present or past affiliations or conduct that may give rise to conflicts of interests, as well as the exposure of judges to public campaigns, so-called ‘sanctions’ (unilateral restrictive measures), or even criminal proceedings initiated by States in response to judicial action.

Upcoming judicial elections in 2026 across several major international courts, including the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, bring renewed attention to nomination and voting practices, evaluation criteria, and institutional expectations placed upon candidates. Election cycles render otherwise opaque processes more visible and generate debate among states, practitioners, and observers regarding merit, independence, and representation.

About the Expert Meeting

This Meeting seeks to use this convergence of institutional moments as an opportunity to examine, in a comparative and interdisciplinary manner, how international judges are selected, nominated, evaluated, and regulated, and what these practices reveal about the evolving role of international adjudication. The foundational starting point of the Meeting will be, as mentioned, Article 2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice.

Possible themes include:

• Selection and election practices, including nomination procedures and advisory screening mechanisms
• Qualifications and professional backgrounds of international judges
• Ethics, conduct, and judicial independence
• Representation, diversity, and legitimacy in international adjudication
• Institutional design and possible reforms to appointment processes 
• Theoretical and interdisciplinary perspectives on international judging
• The ‘international’ in international judging

Workshop Format

The event will take the form of a small, discussion-oriented expert meeting hosted at Utrecht University kindly facilitated by the Montaigne Centre for Rule of Law and Administration of Justice. Participants will circulate draft papers in advance so that sessions can prioritise in depth commentary and discussion rather than formal presentations. Participation will primarily be in person, with limited hybrid options available. All attendees will need to fund their own travel and accommodation.

Submission Process

Interested contributors are invited to submit an abstract of 300–500 words by 19 June 2026 and a short biographical note (150 words). Authors whose abstracts are selected will be invited to prepare a longer working paper of around 3000 words to be circulated prior to the workshop. The organisers envisage developing selected papers into a special journal issue. Please submit your abstract to: choosingbench@gmail.com.