ICJ Judge Thomas Buergenthal to Retire

The George Washington (GW) University Law School announced today that Thomas Buergenthal, a judge on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), will retire in September 2010 and re-join the GW faculty.  Judge Buergenthal joined the ICJ in 2000 and thus has served on the court for a decade.  A prolific scholar, Judge Buergenthal is particularly well known for his writings on international human rights.

As for his replacement, while there is technically no U.S. seat on the Court, each of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council traditionally has been able to nominate a judge to the court.  Accordingly, it is very likely that another U.S. person will be nomiated to replace Judge Buergenthal.

(cgb)