Permanent Court of Justice

(amended by the Protocol of Sept. 14, 1929.

An asterisk marks those articles amended or added.)

A Permanent Court of International Justice is hereby established, in.

accordance with Article 14 of the Covenant of the League of Nations. This.

Court shall be in addition to the Court of Arbitration organized by the.

Conventions of The Hague of 1899 and 1907, and to the special Tribunals of.

Arbitration to which States are always at liberty to submit their disputes.

CHAPTER I. ORGANIZATION OF THE COURT.

The Permanent Court of International Justice shall be composed of a body of.

independent judges, elected regardless of their nationality from amongst.

persons of high moral character, who possess the qualifications required in.

their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices,.

or are jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law.

The Court shall consist of fifteen members.

The members of the Court shall be elected by the Assembly and by the.

Council from a list of persons nominated by the national groups in the.

Court of Arbitration, in accordance with the following provisions.

In the case of Members of the League of Nations not represented in the.

Permanent Court of Arbitration, the lists of candidates shall be drawn up.

by national groups appointed for this purpose by their governments under.

the same conditions as those prescribed for members of the Permanent Court.

of Arbitration by Article 44 of the Convention of The Hague of 1907 for the.

pacific settlement of international disputes.

The conditions under which a State which has accepted the Statute of the.

Court but is not a Member of the League of Nations, may participate in.

electing the members of the Court shall, in the absence of a special.

agreement, be laid down by the Assembly on the proposal of the Council.

At least three months before the date of the election, the.

Secretary-General of the League of Nations shall address a written request.

to the members of the Court of Arbitration belonging to the States.

mentioned in the Annex to the Covenant or to the States which join the.

League subsequently, and to the persons appointed under paragraph 2 of.

Article 4, inviting them to undertake, within a given time, by national.

groups, the nomination of persons in a position to accept the duties of a.

No group may nominate more than four persons, not more than two of whom.

shall be of their own nationality. In no case must the number of candidates.

nominated be more than double the number of seats to be filled.

Before making these nominations, each national group is recommended to.

consult its Highest Court of Justice, its Legal Faculties and Schools of.

Law, and its National Academies and national sections of International.

Academies devoted to the study of Law.

The Secretary-General of the League of Nations shall prepare a list in.

alphabetical order of all the persons thus nominated. Save as provided in.

Article 12, paragraph 2, these shall be the only persons eligible for.

The Secretary-General shall submit this list to the Assembly and to the.

The Assembly and the Council shall proceed independently of one another to.

elect the members of the Court.

At every election, the electors shall bear in mind that not only should all.

the persons appointed as members of the Court possess the qualifications.

required, but the whole body also should represent the main forms of.

civilization and the principal legal systems of the world.

Those candidates who obtain an absolute majority of votes in the Assembly.

and in the Council shall be considered as elected.

In the event of more than one national of the same Member of the League.

being elected by the votes of both the Assembly and the Council, the eldest.

of these only shall be considered as elected.