International courtInternational courts are formed by treaties between nations or under the authority of an international organization such as the United Nations and include ad hoc tribunals and permanent institutions but exclude any courts arising purely under national authority. An international court is an international organization, or a body of an international organization, that hears cases in which one party may be a state or international organization (or body thereof), and which is composed of independent judges who follow predetermined rules of procedure to issue binding decisions on the basis of international law.
Sources of international lawInternational law, also known as "law of nations", refers to the body of rules which regulate the conduct of sovereign states in their relations with one another. Sources of international law include treaties, international customs, general widely recognized principles of law, the decisions of national and lower courts, and scholarly writings. They are the materials and processes out of which the rules and principles regulating the international community are developed. They have been influenced by a range of political and legal theories.
Loithumb|La Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen française, qui a toujours une valeur constitutionnelle en France. En droit, la loi (du latin lex, legis, qui signifie loi) est une règle juridique. La notion de loi se définit par rapport au contrat et au traité (qui résultent d'une négociation entre égaux (sur le plan du droit)) mais aussi par rapport à d'autres sources de droit : la tradition (us et coutumes), la jurisprudence, les lois fondamentales (constitution, « grande charte », etc.
Multilateral treatyA multilateral treaty is a treaty to which two or more sovereign states are parties. Each party owes the same obligations to all other parties, except to the extent that they have stated reservations. Examples of multilateral treaties include the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Geneva Conventions, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. A bilateral treaty is a treaty between two states.
Erga omnesErga omnes est une locution latine, généralement utilisée en droit et signifiant : « À l’égard de tous ». On dit ainsi qu’une décision juridique a autorité de chose jugée erga omnes, opposable à tous, et non uniquement à l'égard des parties prenantes (appelé lui effet inter partes). Le terme s'oppose donc par exemple à une obligation contractuelle, qui ne s'impose qu'aux signataires du contrat. Le terme devient célèbre lors de son utilisation par la Cour internationale de justice en 1970, dans l'affaire de la Barcelona Traction.
