Nuremberg’s Enduring Legacy to International Justice

The historic Nuremberg trial represented a first step toward an adequate response by the international society to grave crimes under international law committed by individuals in position of governmental authority. This article discusses three particular ways in which the Nuremberg trial has advanced international justice. From a normative perspective, it has helped crystallise the principle of individual criminal responsibility for crimes under international law. Furthermore, the Nuremberg tribunal’s extraordinary jurisdiction paved the way for domestic and international courts’ jurisdiction over crimes under international law, while instigating the evolution of relevant law concerning immunity from jurisdiction. Finally, in associating international crimes with the maintenance of international peace and security, it allowed the UN system of collective security to consider situations involving the commission of those crimes as a threat to international peace and security, preventing impunity and promoting the efficacy of international humanitarian law.