Library guides: Law: International law

Sources of international law

International law, also known as 'public international law', is the system of law that imposes rights and obligations on States in their dealings with each other.

For more information on legal research, including Australian law, use our Law subject guide

International law sources

International Court of Justice (The principal judicial body of the United Nations)
The Court settles, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised United Nations organs and specialised agencies. Provides all judgments and opinions since 1946.
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Operating since 1902, the court aims to provide a forum for the resolution of international disputes through arbitration and other peaceful means.
European Court of Human Rights
The ECHR provides access to the case law of the Court, advisory opinions and legal summaries. Judgments cover violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.
International Criminal Court (ICC)
The ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community. Includes information about the court, founding documents, full text access to cases, activity reports, media releases and a "Legal Texts and Tools" guide.
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
This judicial body adjudicates disputes related to the interpretation and application of the Convention. Established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
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Disputes might relate to the conservation of the resources of the sea, marine biology research, and the preservation of marine life and the marine environment.
WorldLII International Courts and Tribunals collection
Extensive links to court and tribunals which regularly consider matters of international and regional law.

For Australian cases see Westlaw Australia cases and CaseBase via Lexis Advance.

European Union Cases via Westlaw international
Click European Union under Jurisdictions for access to EU cases, legislation and treaties. Collection includes full-text decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Communities from 1954.
Also includes European Union legislation, treatises, acts, secondary materials and more.
Foreign & international law resources via HeinOnline
See ‘Browse Databases by Name’ to access this collection. Includes International Tribunals/Judicial Decisions, reports and cases of the Court of Justice of the European Communities, U.S. Law Digests and notable international yearbooks.

vLex Justis This link opens in a new window
Case citator for the United Kingdom, Ireland and European Union from 1163 onwards, and select case law from commonwealth countries. Use it to search for cases by keywords, citation, case name, court, judge, legislation title, or words of phrases have been judicially considered. The precedent map provides a visual representation of the treatment of cited and citing cases.

A treaty is an agreement involving two or more states that is written in accordance with and governed by international law. Treaties are either bilateral, involving two states, or multilateral, involving three or more states. A “party” is a state that has agreed to be bound by a particular treaty. Treaties are key sources of international law.

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
International treaties available in the U.S. International trade database the U.S. Treaties and agreements library. The U.S. Treaties agreement library includes all U.S. treaties, including unpublished treaties. It encompasses notable collections, such as the United States Treaties and other international agreements set (also known as the "Blue set").

Oxford historical treaties
Full-text historical treaties from 1648 – 1919 available from the regions of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Includes multilateral and bilateral treaties.
United Nations Treaty collection
Full-text treaties from the UN Treaty series, the League of Nations Treaty series and many more. Includes multilateral and bilateral treaties. Also includes details about depository actions of the Secretary-General in relation to more than 560 multilateral treaties.
Jurisprudence - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Provides access to jurisprudence emanating from the United Nations treaty bodies which receive and consider complaints from individuals:
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The Human Rights Committee (CCPR), the Committee against Torture (CAT), the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
WorldLII International Courts and Tribunals collection
Extensive links to court and tribunals which regularly consider matters of international and regional law.

Consulting secondary sources provides an overview of the legal principles you are investigating. Researchers in international law often encounter unfamiliar terms, or familiar terms used in unfamiliar ways. When you encounter these terms, avoid confusion by consulting dictionaries and lists of abbreviations. Secondary sources include: textbooks & books discussing specialised legal topics, encyclopaedias & dictionaries, journal articles

Secondary sources will provide you with the broader legal context of an issue, refer you to key primary sources such as cases and treaties and alert you to areas of uncertainty and debate in the law.

Start by consulting textbooks, books and legal encyclopaedias, that discuss legal principles more broadly, before moving to journal articles and commentary for a more critical analysis of a legal issue.

For more secondary sources see the Journals and Legal encyclopedias & dictionaries pages of this guide

Parry & Grant encyclopaedic dictionary of international law
Search this classic volume for legal terms used in international law; significant doctrines; prominent cases, decisions and arbitration; important incidents; important judicial figures; treaties and conventions.
Max Planck encyclopedias of international law (MPEIL)
Combines the Encyclopedias of international aw, Encyclopedia of public international law and the Encyclopedia of international procedural law. Includes entries on important legal problems and institutions, and on major international court and tribunal decisions.
The Oxford handbook of the theory of international law
Explores key questions and debates in international legal theory, providing interpretations of significant historical figures, texts, and theoretical approaches.
History of international law via HeinOnline
Select the collection under Browse Databases by Name.
Examines the sources of international law, how the understanding of sources changed throughout the history of international law; how the main legal theories understood sources; the relationship between sources and the legitimacy of international law; and how sources differ across the various sub-areas of international law.
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includes information dating back to 1690 on the history of international law subjects such as War & Peace, the Nuremberg Trials, Law of the Sea, International Arbitration, Hague Conferences and Conventions and much more!
Oxford scholarly authorities on international law
Contains over 180 full-text reference works and treatises published by Oxford University Press, including Oppenheim, and the Oxford commentaries on international law.

Law

Sources of international law

International law sources

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