Chatting with an ICJ Advocate Team
By Lily Wobbe
In addition to debating resolutions proposed by ambassadors from different countries, there are several special programs that KUNA has to offer. One of the most demanding but most rewarding programs is the International Court of Justice, a program where advocate teams argue sides of international disputes. Naloni Thompson, Maddie Rose, and Lauren Wood, the advocate team from duPont Manual High School, were excited to be working with the ICJ program this year.
This year’s ICJ case revolved around an agreement under the League of Nations, wherein South Africa would help administrate Namibia. When the League of Nations ended, the question arose of whether or not the supervisory powers of the mandate transferred over to the United Nations. South Africa stopped fulfilling its duties, so the UN revoked the mandate. “There are these questions of, did the General Assembly have the power to do that, did the obligations transfer, and should other states recognize that it’s illegal for South Africa to still be there,” Lauren explained.
In the weeks leading up to the conference, the advocate teams worked through 190 pages of documents to write their case and prepare to argue it in front of a team of judges. Additionally, the case was closed, meaning the advocates couldn’t look up any additional information and had to rely on what they had in the document. “The only thing we could look up was what some of the articles explicitly said, so we could cite it,” Naloni said.
During rounds of the court, advocate teams deliver their case, all while being questioned nonstop by the team of judges on their knowledge of the case. “The hardest part is just preparing for the questions the judges are going to ask, because you have to know the reasoning behind every claim you make, and you really have to think on your feet,” Maddie said.
The program is certainly difficult, but there have been a lot of fulfilling moments for the advocate teams, too.
Naloni mentioned the great feeling that the team got when they confidently answered the judges’ questions, showing off their knowledge and hard work during the research period. “The most fun part for me has been, while we’re in the actual round doing our speeches, actually being researched and knowing what we’re talking about. The feeling of accomplishment is really good,” she said.
The advocates also gave advice for anyone interested in the program. “ICJ seems really intimidating,” Lauren said. “When I saw the 190 pages, I was regretting some decisions, but it’s really rewarding. It’s a lot of fun, and you feel really cool once you’ve done all of this work and you get to argue the case.”
The ICJ has its showcase round at 10:10 on the second morning, which is open for all ambassadors to watch.
