The Asymmetric Judicial Dialogue Between the ICJ and the IACtHR: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

Abstract This article evaluates the judicial dialogue between the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR). It aims to discuss, on the one hand, the use of the ICJ jurisprudence in the case law of the Inter-American Court and the use of the IACtHR jurisprudence in the case law of the ICJ, on the other hand. Being aware that the ICJ and the IACtHR are placed in different levels and possess structural differences, the judicial dialogue between these two courts is inevitably marked by asymmetries. The empirical analysis of the interaction between the ICJ and the IACtHR aims to identify the functions of the judicial dialogue, which encompass the general cross-fertilization function and the function of enhancing the persuasiveness, authority or legitimacy of individual judicial decisions.