Courtspeak: a method to read the argumentative structure employed by the International Court of Justice in its judgments and advisory opinions

These texts on the legitimacy of international courts were framed as a direct reaction to arguments put forward in the book “In Whose Name?” by Armin von Bogdandy und Ingo Venzke. The subjects ranged from a comparison between international organizations and international courts and how they can contribute to democratize international law to assessing the democratic legitimacy of international human rights courts. Therefore the collection is dealing with both theoretical and practical questions regarding the legitimacy of international courts and how such problems relate to fundamental problems of our times. The book is the product of a collaboration between two Max Planck Institutes, in Heidelberg and Luxemburg.