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International Court of Justice Jurisdiction

On April 6, 1984, the United States attempted to modify its declaration accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, in order to exclude disputes involving Central America for a period of two years. Then on January 18, 1985, the United States notified the ICJ that it would no longer participate in the Nicaragua v. United States proceedings. On June 27, 1986, the ICJ ruled that U.S. support to the contras in Nicaragua was illegal, and demanded that the U.S. pay reparations to the Sandinistas. Reagan's State Department said "the United States rejected the Court's verdict, and said the ICJ was not equipped to judge complex international military issues."