Summaries of Judgments, AdvNot an official documents of the Internationa
l Court of Justice
C.ASE CONCERNING RIGHTSOFNATIONALS OF THE
UNITEDSlrATES OFAMERICAINMOROCCO
Judgment of27 August1952
Theproceedingsinthecaseconcerningrightsofnationals requiredbytheprovisionsoftheActof Algecirasrelatingto
of the UnitedStatesof Americain Moroccowere:instituted consularjurisdiction.
against theUnitedStatesby an Applicationof theGovern- (By six votes to five)But ethersut)missionsofthe
mentoftheFrenchRepublic. UnitedStatesrelatingtoconsularjurisdictioilarerejected:it
The submissionsof the Rxties related tc~the following isnotentitledtoexerciseconsularjurisdictioninother cases
principalpoints: inthe French ZoneofMorocco.Itsrightsin thisconnection,
which wereacquired solely by the effect of the most-
The applicationto nationedsof the United States of the favoured-nationclause,came toanendwith thetermination
Residential Decree of December 30th, 1948, by which byGreatBritainof all its rightsandprivilegesof a capitula-
importswithoutofficialllocationofcurrency(importsfrom torycharacterbytheFranco-BritishConventionof 1937.
theUnitedStates)were,inthe:FrenchZone of'Morocco,sub-
jectedto asystemoflicensingcontrol; 5. (Unanimously)TheUnitedStateshadcontendedthat
The extentof the consular jurisdictionichthe United itsnationalswerenotsubject,inprinciple,othe application
StatesmayexerciseintheFrench ZoneofMorocco; of Mortxcan laws, unlessthese lawshad received its prior
Therighttolevytaxesonn~ationalo sftheIJnitedStatesin assent. Thereis,however,noprovisionin anyoftheTreaties
Morocco(thequestionof fiscalimmunity);with particular confemngupontheUnitedStatessucharight,arightlinked
reference to the consumpticjntaxes provided for by the withthe dgime ofcapitulationswhichcanonlyexistasaco-
Shereefian DahirofFebruary 28th. 1948; rollaryofconsularjurisdiction,sothatifthe co-operationof
Themethodofassessing the:value,underArticle95ofthe theUnitedStatesConsularCourtsisrequiredtoenforcealaw
GeneralAct of Algecirasof 1906,of goods;importedinto tial.Bur,subjecttothis,thecontentionoftheUnitedStatesis
Morocco. ill-fountbd. If the applicationof a law to citizens of the
In itsJudgment,theCourtItield: UnitedStateswithoutits assentis contraryto international
law, anydisputewhichmayarise therefromshouldbe dealt
I. (Unanimously)TheResidentialDecre:eofDecember withaccording to theordinarymethodsfor thesettlementof
30th, 1948,exemptedFrancefromcontrolofimports,while internationaldisputes.
the United States was subjected to such control; it thus
involvedadiscriminationinfavourofFrance.Thisdifferen- 6. (Bysix votestofive)Notreatyprovidesanybasisfor
tialtreatmentwas notcompatiblewiththeAct ofAlgeciras, the claiinof theUnitedStatesto fiscal immunityfor its citi-
byvirtueofwhichtheUnitedStatescanclaimto be treatedas zens. Norcan suchan immunity,capitulatoryin origin, be
favourablyasFrance, as farseconomicmatlersi11Morocco justifiedby the effectof the most-favoured.-natclause,
areconcerned.TheFrenchsubmissions,thatthisDecree isin sincenoother Stateenjoysitforthebenefitof its nationals.
conformitywiththeeconomi~s :ystemwhichisaplplicablto 7. (Byseven votes tofour)Astotheconsumptiontaxes
Morocco,mustthereforeben~jected. imposedbytheDahirofFebruary 28th. 1948;,thesearepay-
2. (Unanimously)With regardto consularjurisdictionin able on allgoods, whether importedinto lVIoroccor pro-
theFrench Zoneof Morocco,theUnitedStatesisentitledto ducedthere:theyarenot,therefore,customsduties,the max-
exercisesuchjurisdictioninaccordancewiththe termsof its imumrate for which was fixedat 12%%by the Signatory
TreatywithMoroccoofSeptember 16th 1836,thatistosay, PowersoftheActofAlgeciras.Citizensofthe UnitedStates
inalldisputes,civilorriminiil,betweencitizensorprot6g6s arenomoreexempt fromthesetaxesthan fromanyothers.
oftheUnitedStates. 8. (By six votesto five)Article95 ofileAct of Alge-
3. (By tenvotes toone)Itisalsoentitledtoexercisecon- ciras laysdownno strict rulefor the valuationof imported
sular jurisdictionin all cases, civil or criininal, brouggoods.Astudyofthepracticesince 1906ant1ofthe prelimi-
againstcitizensorrotCg6sof theUnitedStatc:~t,o theextent nary workof the Conferenceof Algeciras leadstheCourtto
Continued on next pagetheviewthat this Article requiresan interpretationwhichis Adeclaration ir;appendedto the JudgmentbyJudgeHsu
more flexiblethan those respectivelycontended for by Mo, whoexpresses theopinionthatthe UnitedStatesis not
Franceand the UnitedStates.Variousfactorsmustbe taken entitledto exercise consularjurisdictionin cases involving
into considerationby the Customsauthorities:the valueof the applicationto UnitedStates citizensof thoseprovisions
merchandiseinthecountryoforiginanditsvalueinthelocal oftheActofAlgeciraswhich, for their enforcement,carried
Moroccan marketare both elementsin the appraisalof its certain sanctions.
value. Ajoint dissentingopinion,signedbyJudges Hackworth,
Badawi, CarneiroandSir BenegalRau, is alsoappended to
theJudgment.
Summary of the Judgment of 27 August 1952