Kenneth Keith and International Court of Justice case law

Court of International Justice

International Court of Justice

Justice Kenneth Keith, of New Zealand, is immensely qualified to serve on the International Court of Justice. He studied law for a nine-year period, earning LL.B. And LL.M degrees, and was named a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for law-related services. He worked as an attorney, judge, law school professor, and law school dean. He gained experience with international law as a judge with the New Zealand Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Furthermore, he worked as an attorney before the International Court of Justice, and in several international arbitration or diplomatic positions.

One of the more interesting contentious cases involved a dispute between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Belgium. Belgium had issued an international arrest warrant against the Minister for Foreign Affairs in office of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since the issuance of the arrest warrant was to arrest the Minister for war crimes and against humanity meant that it violated diplomatic immunity and was not a valid warrant. Furthermore, the Court determined that the Democratic Republic of the Congo was not entitled to further reparations.