Hidden Hands of Justice

The Hidden Hands of Justice: NGOs, Human Rights, and International Courts is the first comprehensive analysis of non-governmental organization (NGO) participation at international criminal and human rights courts. Drawing on original data, Heidi Nichols Haddad maps and explains the differences in NGO participatory roles, frequency, and impact at three judicial institutions: the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Human Rights System, and the International Criminal Court. The Hidden Hands of Justice demonstrates that courts can strategically choose to enhance their functionality by allowing NGOs to provide needed information, expertise, and services as well as shame states for non-cooperation. Through participation, NGOs can profoundly shape the character of international human rights justice, but in doing so, may consolidate civil society representation and relinquish their roles as external monitors.

'NGOs are an integral part of international criminal justice, and Heidi Nichols Haddad does an excellent job explaining why NGOs are involved in judicial mechanisms, what they do, and how their involvement matters. Clearly written and theoretically informed, the book focuses on three different international courts and provides rich empirical details to support her argument. Thanks to Heidi Nichols Haddad the partnership between international courts and NGOs will no longer be ignored.' Patrice C. McMahon, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 'This book presents one of the first systematic analyses of the role and impact of NGOs before international courts. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, the book manages to shed light on key participants of international law that are very often overlooked. This book is full of insights and presents a highly convincing analysis. It is highly recommended to both students and scholars of international law and adjudication.' Mikael Rask Madsen, Director of iCourts, Centre of Excellence for International Courts, 'In The Hidden Hands of Justice, Heidi Nichols Haddad delivers a path breaking scholarly account of the myriad ways that NGOs interact with, support, legitimize, and seek to influence three of the most important contemporary supra-national courts. This book should command great interest from scholars, policymakers, and activists interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the potential as well as the limitations of NGOs in advancing human rights, international courts, and global governance more generally.' Victor Peskin, Arizona State University, University of California, Berkeley and author of International Justice in Rwanda and the Balkans: Virtual Trials and the Struggle for State Cooperation

Heidi Nichols Haddad is Assistant Professor of Politics at Pomona College, California.