Review: The CIJ-ICJ App

Status and Statistics

• iOS
• Android
• Downloads:   1K+ downloads
• Rating:           4.9 star. 17 ratings of which 3 contain text but no review.
• Status:            In development. Last updated: 19th July 2019

Review Conclusion

Launched by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in order to use modern technology to provide information about the Court, the application is a useful companion to the website, especially due to the notifications given in case of new content. However, while showing great potential, the application currently provides little benefit over the website which it clearly mirrors. The application could be improved by providing information on the rules and procedures of the Court and more in-depth information on the cases.

Introduction

The ICJ launched its own ICJ-CIJ Mobile Device App on the 22nd of May 2019. The press release states:

“The free app, called CIJ-ICJ, allows users to keep abreast of developments at the Court in its two official languages, French and English, by providing essential information on the Court and its activities, including on pending and concluded cases, decisions, press releases and the Court’s judicial calendar. It also allows users to receive real-time notifications as soon as a new decision or press release is published and enables members of the media to register for accreditation for the Court’s public hearings and readings.” and “To use modern technology to provide information about the Court.”

Technical

At 89MB (96MB for beta testers), the app runs smooth and stable. The app is in French and English with the option to switch between versions. Offline, general texts and general images are included. PDF’s containing documents requires an online connection and are taken from the ICJ website servers. Minor issues with non-loading PDF’s can be encountered and during testing a small error appeared in Decisions with the layout being shown in the wrong order (chronological instead of reverse chronology). This error disappeared after a day.

Contents

The app consists of 5 sections: The Court, Cases, Decisions, Press and Calendar.

The Court gives a small introduction to the ICJ and an overview of the current composition of the court by providing the names and photos of the judges. This information comes from the app and is accessible offline. Information is very limited.

Cases: a complete list of all ICJ cases, sorted in reverse chronology by date of introduction. Possible to navigate by scrolling or keywords. Indications given are C (contentious) or A (advisory) and Pending or Concluded.

Selecting a case will provide a description of the case and links to PDF’s containing orders and (where applicable) judgments in English, French or (if provided) a bilingual document. The description text provided is the same as on the website but only orders and judgments are provided. No extras over the website contents are given. The search option is an extra addition. PDF’s are taken from the ICJ website server.

Decisions consists of a reverse chronological list of all judgments, orders and advisory opinions given by the court and organized by year (selection through a pull-down menu). Texts are taken from the website and PDF’s are taken from the ICJ website server. No extras are provided over the website.

Press contains all press releases by the ICJ and contains the same information as provided on the website. Press releases are in PDF and taken from the ICJ website server

Calendar contains a list of current hearings and events. The information is again taken from the website but lacks the timetables provided on the website. No extras are provided over the website.