Locating translations for foreign legal materials, particularly for court decisions from foreign jurisdictions, can be challenging. Even if available, they are often not authoratative, outdated, and expensive.

The Law Library subscribes to a database, Oxford Reports on International Law in Domestic Courts (ILDC), that to some extent, addresses this problem. 

ILDC contains decisions from domestic courts around the world, including approximately  70 jurisdictions in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, United States, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. The database emphasizes relevant cases from 2000 to the present. However, earlier cases dating as far back as the early nineteenth century are included if the editors deem them important for the development of international law jurisprudence in the particular country.

The topics covered involve significant issues in public international law, including international business law, family law, privileges and immunities, treaty law, environmental law, criminal law, foreign investment, human rights, and more.

Each case includes a summary of facts, relevant legal issues, the holding, the full text of the decision, expert analysis, and links to cited cases and other documents.

For cases that are not published in English, the full text of the decision in the original language is included, with translation of key passages into English.

ILDC decisions can be browsed by subject, party name, date, and jurisdiction, or searched by keyword, subject, and jurisdiction. If you need any help on constructing a search in this database, contact Sunil Rao, Foreign and International Law Librarian.

Submitted by Sunil Rao, on November 27, 2019

This article appears in the categories: Law Library