In order to understand the role of international courts (ICs) in the international legal system, this chapter examines 25 permanent international courts by analyzing four roles that states have delegated to courts: enforcement, administrative review, constitutional review, and dispute settlement. The chapter finds that ICs can become not only agents...
Delegation to ICs has increased rapidly since 1990, leading to a proliferation of international courts with a fundamentally different design. There are now 20 active ICs, plus eight more ICs that exist mostly on paper. "New style" international courts have compulsory jurisdiction, and often they have access for non-state actors...