The International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds its seat in The Hague, Netherlands. The Charter of the United Nations established the ICJ in June of 1945. It is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. It has dual jurisdiction, which means that it gives advisory opinions on legal questions to countries at the request of the United Nations; it also settles disputes of legal nature. The ICJ court functions and is organized by the Statute and the Rules of the Court, which were made by the court. The ICJ mainly debates the legality of certain issues, and has no jurisdiction to punish nations, but only interpret legal documents. In the court, only states are eligible to appear before the contentious case. The court is composed of a defendant, a respondent, and the panel of judges. Both the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly elect its 15 judges for nine-year periods. In order for the court to make the optimal decision, the advocates defend their country and provide as much evidence to the court as possible, including witnesses and testimonies, among others.