By: James G. Apple,
Editor-in-Chief, International Judicial Monitor
The phrase international court usually carries with it the
implication that the jurisdiction of such a court, such as the International
Court of Justice in The Hague, is world wide. However, the number of regional
international courts and tribunals, that is, courts that have a jurisdiction
not limited by the national boundaries of a certain country, has increased
substantially in the 21st Century. The International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda and the Special Court for Sierra Leone are examples of
this new trend.
The idea of a regional international court has a much longer
history; the first such court was founded in 1907. It was the Central American
Court of Justice, which an outgrowth of the Central American Peace Conference
in Washington, promoted by then U.S. Secretary of State Elihu Root. (his
assistance and support for this effort was one of the reasons for his being
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1912). It was the first court with
jurisdiction beyond national boundaries (the Permanent Court of International
Justice had not yet been formed). The CACJ however, had a limited time life of
10 years. Its headquarters were first located in Cartago, Costa Rica but after
an earthquake in 1910 destroyed the building they were moved to San Jose. The
building in San Jose had been built with funds donated by American
industrialist Andrew Carnegie. When the Court dissolved in 1918 the building
was taken over by the Costa Rican government.
The CACJ had five judges, one each from each of the members
states, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Its
jurisdiction extended not only to disputes between states, but also those
between states and citizens of Central American states.