Renowned judge nominated for ICJ

Botswana has nominated renowned jurist and scholar Justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake to run for judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Mail & Guardian reports that this is a consequential nomination, because in an era where the pillars of the international order are often tested, the election of judges to the ICJ is a critical barometer of global commitment to the rule of law. Dingake’s nomination stands out not merely for the calibre of the jurist, but for the symbolic weight of the nation putting him forward. One practising senior attorney in Botswana, Onalethata Kambai, said in Dingake, Botswana offers the world not just a judge, but a jurisprudential philosopher for the global stage. ‘His nomination is a testament to Botswana’s own democratic credentials – a nation that has consistently punched above its weight in championing good governance and now seeks to gift one of its finest legal minds to the world,’ Kambai said. Dingake is a global jurist, currently serving on the Supreme and National Courts of Papua New Guinea – the first African to hold such a post – and on the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone, a role in which the UN Secretary-General appointed him. His career is a tapestry woven from threads of adjudication in diverse common law jurisdictions and profound academic scholarship, with advanced degrees from the University of London and a PhD from University of Cape Town.