UN elects five International Court of Justice judges as caseload hits record

Overview

Updated Yesterday

The United Nations elected five judges to the International Court of Justice on November 3, filling a third of the 15-member bench for nine-year terms that begin February 6, 2027. Four won in the first round. The fifth needed multiple ballots after the Security Council and General Assembly backed different candidates.

The court is carrying 24 contentious cases, its president told the General Assembly in late October. They include South Africa's genocide case against Israel over Gaza and The Gambia's case against Myanmar over the Rohingya. A judgment in the Myanmar case is scheduled for November 19.

Why it matters

Five new judges will help decide the genocide cases and territorial disputes now before the court, including whether Israel's Gaza campaign violated the Genocide Convention.

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Key Indicators

Judges elected

Seats filled in the November 3 vote.

Pending contentious cases

Count given by ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa to the General Assembly.

Judges on the court

Each from a different country, serving nine-year terms.

Okowa's final-round Council votes

Two Security Council members abstained.

Nine years

Term length

Judges may be re-elected; a third of the bench turns over every three years.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Dapo Akande

ICJ judge-elect from the United Kingdom

Elected; term begins February 6, 2027

François Alabrune

ICJ judge-elect from France

Elected; term begins February 6, 2027

Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud

ICJ judge from Jordan

Re-elected; current term ends February 5, 2027

Rena Lee

ICJ judge-elect from Singapore

Elected; term begins February 6, 2027

Phoebe Okowa

ICJ judge from Kenya

Re-elected; current term ends February 5, 2027

Marcelo Vásquez Bermúdez

Ecuador's ICJ candidate

Withdrew from the 2026 race

Yuji Iwasawa

President of the International Court of Justice

Serving

Organizations Involved

International Court of Justice

International court

Filling five seats amid a record caseload

The United Nations' principal judicial organ, based in The Hague, settles disputes between states.

United Nations General Assembly

International body

Voted concurrently with the Security Council on the ICJ seats

The main deliberative body of the UN, where all 193 member states hold a vote.

United Nations Security Council

UN principal organ

Voted concurrently with the General Assembly on the ICJ seats

The 15-member body responsible for international peace and security, which shares ICJ election duties with the General Assembly.

Timeline

May 2025 February 2027

9 events Latest: Yesterday

Tap a bar to jump to that date

February 2027
New judges' terms begin
Upcoming Appointment

The five judges start nine-year terms on the 15-member bench.
February 6th, 2027
November 2026
Judgment scheduled in Gambia v. Myanmar
Upcoming Legal

The ICJ is set to rule on The Gambia's genocide case against Myanmar over the Rohingya.
November 19th, 2026
UN elects five ICJ judges
Latest Election

Four win in the first round; Okowa takes the fifth after multiple ballots.
Yesterday
October 2026
Iwasawa reports 24 pending cases
Statement

The ICJ president tells the General Assembly the court faces a record contentious caseload.
6 days ago
Security Council meets ICJ president
Statement

The annual private meeting covers the court's role in conflict prevention and its growing caseload.
7 days ago
November 2025
Okowa wins by-election for Yusuf's seat
Appointment

Phoebe Okowa wins after multiple ballots, finishing the term ending February 5, 2027.
November 2025
October 2025
ICJ issues advisory opinion on Israel's obligations
Legal

The court outlines Israel's duties toward the UN and humanitarian groups in the occupied Palestinian territory.
October 2025
September 2025
Yusuf resigns from the ICJ
Appointment

Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf's resignation takes effect, opening a seat through February 2027.
September 30th, 2025
May 2025
Hmoud joins the court
Appointment

Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud fills the seat vacated by Nawaf Salam, who became Lebanon's prime minister.
May 2025

Scenarios

ICJ delivers Gambia v. Myanmar judgment on schedule

Likely Resolves by Nov 19, 2026

Discussed by: The ICJ announced the judgment date; court watchers expect it to proceed.

The court has scheduled a judgment for November 19, 2026 in The Gambia's case accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya minority. A ruling on that date would give the court a major decision while its new judges prepare to take their seats.

ICJ reaches final merits ruling in South Africa v. Israel by end of 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Legal analysts tracking the ICJ docket.

South Africa's genocide case against Israel has produced provisional measures but no final ruling on the merits. A merits judgment would require the court to decide whether Israel's Gaza campaign violated the Genocide Convention. The newly elected judges will sit for any ruling issued after February 2027.

ICJ pending caseload passes 30 contentious cases

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa's caseload remarks to the General Assembly.

The court reported 24 pending contentious cases in October 2026, part of a decade-long rise in filings. If states keep bringing disputes over territory, treaties and human rights, the docket could cross 30 cases by the end of 2027.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 2017

Britain loses its ICJ seat (2017)

Britain's Sir Christopher Greenwood lost his seat on the International Court of Justice to India's Dalveer Bhandari after multiple rounds of voting in the Security Council and General Assembly. It was the first time since the court's founding that no British judge sat on the bench.

Then

Britain was left without a judge on the 15-member court.

Now

The result became a reference point for how a permanent Security Council member can lose a judicial seat through the parallel voting process.

Why this matters now

Dapo Akande's 2026 election restores a British seat, and the 2026 fifth-seat contest followed the same run-off logic.

November 2025

Okowa fills Yusuf's seat (2025)

After Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf resigned, Kenya's Phoebe Okowa and Sierra Leone's Charles Jalloh contested the vacancy. The Security Council and General Assembly split, forcing additional ballots under Article 11 of the court's statute. Okowa ultimately won both chambers.

Then

Okowa joined the court for a term ending February 5, 2027.

Now

The episode showed how the two UN bodies resolve disagreement over a single seat.

Why this matters now

The same split-and-run-off pattern decided the fifth seat again in 2026.

January 2024

South Africa v. Israel provisional measures (2024)

South Africa asked the ICJ to rule that Israel's Gaza campaign violated the Genocide Convention. In January 2024 the court ordered provisional measures, including that Israel take steps to prevent genocidal acts, without deciding the merits.

Then

Israel was ordered to report on compliance; the case continued.

Now

The case remains pending, with no final ruling on whether genocide occurred.

Why this matters now

It is one of the 24 contentious cases the newly elected judges will help decide.