The Permanent Court of International Justice was an international court attached to the League of Nations. The Court initially consisted of 11 judges and 4 deputy judges, recommended by member states of the League of Nations to the Secretary General of the League of Nations, who would put them before the Council and Assembly for election. The Council and Assembly were to bear in mind that the elected panel of judges was to represent every major legal tradition in the League, along with "every major civilization". Each member state was allowed to recommend 4 potential judges, with a maximum of 2 from its own nation. Judges were elected by a straight majority vote, held independently in the Council and Assembly.[1] The judges served for a period of nine years, with their term limits all expiring at the same time, necessitating a completely new set of elections.[2] The judges were independent and rid themselves of their nationality for the purposes of hearing cases, owing allegiance to no individual member state, although it was forbidden to have more than one judge from the same state. As a sign of their independence from national ties, judges were given full diplomatic immunity when engaged in Court business The only requirements for a judge were "high moral character" and that they have "the qualifications required in their respective countries [for] the highest judicial offices" or be "jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law".[3]
The first panel was elected on 14 September 1921, with Deputy Judges elected 2 days later.[4] In 1930 the number of judges was increased to 15 and a second set of elections were held on 25 September.[5] Judges continued to hold their posts, despite the Court not sitting for most of the 1940s due to the Second World War, until they resigned en masse in October 1945.[6] Judges were paid 15,000 Dutch florins a year, with daily expenses of 50 florins to pay for living expenses, and an additional 45,000 florins for the President, who was required to live at The Hague. Travelling expenses were also provided, and a "duty allowance" of 100 florins was provided when the court was sitting, with 150 for the Vice-President. This duty allowance was limited to 20,000 florins a year for the judges and 30,000 florins for the Vice-President; as such, it provided for 200 days of court hearings, with no allowance provided if the court sat for longer. The deputy judges received no salary, but when called up for service were provided with travel expenses, 50 florins a day for living expenses and 150 florins a day as a duty allowance.[7]
| Nationality | Name | Term as a judge | Other roles | Reason for termination | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Japan | 15 January 1931 — 28 December 1934 | President 1931–1933 | Died | |||
 Spain | January 1922 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
 Italy | January 1922 — October 1945 | President 1928–1930 | Court resigned en masse | |||
 Brazil | January 1922 — 1 March 1923 | Died | ||||
 Cuba | January 1922 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
 China | 15 January 1931 — 15 January 1936 | Resigned | ||||
 Finland | 26 September 1938 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
 Netherlands | 15 January 1931 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
 United Kingdom | January 1922 — 9 March 1929 | Died | ||||
 France | 19 September 1929 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
 El Salvador | 15 January 1931 — October 1945 | Vice President 1931–1936, President 1936–1946 | Court resigned en masse | |||
 Sweden | 8 October 1936 — 7 July 1937 | Died | [8] | |||
 Switzerland | January 1922 — 6 December 1930 | President 1925–1927, Vice President 1928–1931 | Not re-elected | |||
 United States | 8 October 1931 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
| United States | 8 September 1928 — 15 February 1930 | Resigned | [9] | |||
| United Kingdom | 19 September 1929 — October 1945 | President 1934–1936, Vice President 1936–1946 | Court resigned en masse | |||
| United States | 25 September 1930 — 9 September 1935 | Resigned | [10] | |||
| Netherlands | January 1922 — 6 December 1930 | President 1922–1924 | Not re-elected | |||
| United States | January 1922 — 11 April 1928 | Resigned | ||||
| Japan | 17 September 1935 — 15 January 1942 | Resigned | ||||
 Romania | 15 January 1931 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
 Denmark | January 1922 — 6 December 1930 | Not re-elected | ||||
| Japan | January 1922 — 6 December 1930 | Not re-elected | ||||
 Belgium | 15 January 1931 — 11 July 1936 | Died | ||||
 Poland | 15 January 1931 — 24 March 1940 | Died | ||||
 Germany | 15 January 1931 — 25 August 1935 | Died | ||||
| Brazil | 10 September 1923 — 6 December 1930 | Not re-elected | ||||
| China | 8 October 1936 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
 Colombia | 15 January 1931 — 9 January 1942 | Resigned | ||||
| Belgium | 27 May 1937 — October 1945 | Court resigned en masse | ||||
| France | January 1922 — 31 August 1928 | Vice President 1922–1928 | Died |
| Nationality | Name | Term as a deputy judge | Reason for termination | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Norway | 30 January 1920 — 6 December 1930 | Not re-elected | |||
| China | 30 January 1920 — 6 December 1930 | Not re-elected | [11] | ||
| Finland | 15 January 1931 — 1 February 1936 | Post abolished | |||
 Portugal | 15 January 1931 — 1 February 1936 | Post abolished | |||
| Romania | 30 January 1920 — 6 December 1930 | Not re-elected | |||
| 15 January 1931 — 1 February 1936 | Post abolished | ||||
 Austria | 15 January 1931 — 1 February 1936 | Post abolished | |||
| 30 January 1920 — 6 December 1930 | Not re-elected |
General References
Specific References