European Court Of Human Rights
Often in sharp contrast to other political institutions , courts are respected—indeed often revered—because their decisions are viewed as being principled rather than motivated by self-interest or partisanship. To the extent that courts are perceived as legitimate by their constituents, their decisions—even their unpopular ones—are respected, acquiesced to, and accepted. The Office of the Prosecutor must determine whether there is sufficient evidence of crimes of sufficient gravity falling within the ICC’s jurisdiction, whether there are genuine national proceedings, and whether opening an investigation would serve the interests of justice and of the victims. The session may begin with the announcement of opinions - decisions in argued cases - followed by the swearing in of new members to the Bar of the Supreme Court. Unless otherwise noted, the Court generally hears two, one-hour oral arguments, with attorneys for each side of a case given 30 minutes to make a presentation to the Co