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Nicaragua v. United States

The Republic of Nicaragua v. The United States of America was a case heard by the International Court of Justice in which it was alleged that the United States had violated international law by supporting Contra guerrillas in their war against the Nicaraguan government and by mining Nicaragua's harbors. The Court ruled in Nicaragua's favor, but United States refused to abide by the Court's decision, even though it was obligated to do so under international law. After the Court's decision, the United States withdrew its declaration accepting the Court's compulsory jurisdiction.

On June 27, 1986, the Court found that:

Table of contents
1 U.S. Defense and Response
2 How the Judges Voted
3 External links

U.S. Defense and Response

The United States argued that the Court did not have jurisdiction. U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick dismissed the Court as a "semi-legal, semi-juridical, semi-political body which nations sometimes accept and sometimes don't." The Court rejected these arguments. The United States then refused to participate in the merits phase of the proceedings, but the Court found that the US refusal did not prevent it from deciding the case. The Court also rejected the United States defense that its action constituted collective self-defense.

How the Judges Voted

Votes of Judges - Nicaragua v. United States

Judge

Operative Paragraph

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

President Nagendra Singh (India)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Vice-President de Lacharrière (France)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Ago (Italy)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Bedjaoui (Algeria)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Elias (Nigeria)

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Lachs (Poland)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Mbaye (Senegal)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Ni (China)

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Oda (Japan)

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Judge Ruda (Argentina)

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Schwebel (United States)

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Judge Sette-Camara (Brazil)

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Judge Sir Robert Jennings (United Kingdom)

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Judge ad hoc Colliard (France)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

External links