Jesus fellow now quite a big deal at the UN, apparently

Professor James Crawford – the Whewell Professor of International Law at Cambridge – has been elected as a judge at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

The Australian academic will be taking up his judicial position at the UN’s top court at The Hague in the New Year.

Elected by an absolute majority in the UN Security Council and the General Assembly earlier this week/on the 6th November, the Cambridge academic will hold this post alongside 14 other judges until 2024. Exciting stuff.

The International Court of Justice. Looks a bit like John’s, dunnit

The ICJ has an extremely important function in disputes and maintenance of international law, and is the principal judicial wing of the United Nations.

Earlier this year, the jurist won a major case at the court, when the judges deemed Japan’s Southern Ocean whaling not to be a scientific program.

Bradley Lindsay, a Law student at Clare, was both proud and concerned. “To have such distinguished, high-profile lawyers at the faculty is motivating for us young aspiring lawyers… but it would be a great shame if Professor Crawford was unable to continue to be involved with the faculty due to his busy international schedule.”

8/10, would bang

Jesus undergraduate Natalie Reeve called his appointment “fiendishly inspiring.”

Responses from non-Lawyers were a little less jubilant. “I don’t know him, don’t know what ICJ is, and don’t care, stop pestering me for quotes” was the response from one second year Engling.