The Nomination Process for Judges

The period during which States Parties could present candidates for the election of the first bench of 18 ICC judges opened on 9 September 2002 and closed on 30 November 2002. The elections themselves took place in New York on 3-7 February 2003. Click here to see the elections results.

To ensure the best possible outcome from the point of view of the fairness and independence of the ICC, and the best possible quality and expertise on this first bench of judges, governments and NGOs alike worked to promote 'best practices' in the selection of candidates for nomination, both at the national and international levels. It was essential that transparency and fairness characterize the various national processes of selection because the degree to which the candidates nominated are representative would largely determine the degree to which judges are representative.