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How does the International Court of Justice differ from the International Criminal Court in genocide cases?

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Railway tracks lead to the brick entrance building and guard tower of Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp near Oswiecim, Poland. — Genocide Freight train tracks leading to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi Germany's largest concentration camp, near Oświęcim, Poland.

The primary difference between the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding genocide cases lies in their jurisdiction and the nature of the parties they address.1

International Court of Justice (ICJ): The ICJ hears and adjudicates legal disputes between sovereign states. It focuses on state responsibility under international law rather than the criminal liability of individuals.1
International Criminal Court (ICC): The ICC is a permanent judicial body established by the Rome Statute to investigate, prosecute, and try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. It acts as a court of last resort, intervening only when national legal systems are unable or unwilling to prosecute the accused.123

While both institutions play critical roles in upholding international justice, the ICC is specifically designed to hold individual perpetrators accountable for heinous crimes, whereas the ICJ resolves conflicts between nations. It is a fundamental ethical principle that those who commit the most serious crimes against humanity must be held accountable, and these institutions serve as essential mechanisms to ensure that such atrocities do not go unpunished.13