Authority and a Judge s Role at the International Courts
Attending the 11th Brandeis Institute for International Judges allowed me to witness a conversation that highlighted the prospects and challenges relating to the authority of the international courts. At the beginning of the conference, discussion revolved around the definitions of and differences between de jure authority (legal authority) and de facto authority (authority in fact).
During the institute, I learned from the participants that these two terms face subjective interpretations in terms of their meaning and role. It was remarked that de jure authority refers not only to the source of authority, but rather “is linked to authority of judgment itself, good quality judgment,” whereas, de facto authority refers to its “overall impact of the court on society.”