This article takes Pieter Kooijmans’ 1964 book as the launching point for a discussion of contemporary issues relating to the legal equality of States in the context of immunity from suit. It assesses the strengths of the ‘Grundnorm’ of sovereign equality and examines whether it has any real role to play in providing answers to current problems, including whether immunity should be set aside in the face of claims that a foreign State or its agent has committed human rights violations. Close attention is paid to the 2012 Judgment of the International Court of Justice in the Jurisdictional Immunities of the State case. That Judgment demonstrates that sovereign equality has not yet been replaced as the generating principle of law in the realm of immunity. At the same time, there is an emerging alternative approach centered on the individual rather than the State.

Equality of States — Salaries of Officials of the United Nations-Resolutions of the General Assembly — Staff Assessment Plan — Resulting Inequality Among Member States — Lack of Competence of Tribunal to Impose Resulting Burden Upon United Nations.

International Organizations — Officials of — Awards of Compensation to — Exemption from Income Tax on Sums Payable by United Nations — Resolutions of General Assembly — Staff Assessment Plan — Resulting Inequality Among Member States — Lack of Competence of Tribunal to Impose Resulting Burden Upon United Nations.

States — Organs of — Pronouncements of Judicial Authorities — How far Expressive of the Attitude of States.

Equality of States — Jurisdiction over Foreign States — Interpretation of Treaties by Municipal Courts — Conclusiveness of — In regard to Foreign States — Whether Consistent with Equality of States.

Responsibility of States — Judicial Action — Judicial Interpretation of Treaties by Municipal Courts — How far Subject to Review by International Courts — Denial of Justice.

International Tribunals — Competence of — Right to Review Judicial Decisions of Municipal Courts — Denial of Justice.

Interpretation of Treaties — In General — Interpretation by Municipal Courts — How far Binding upon Foreign Governments — Pronouncements of Judicial Authorities in Matters of Treaties — How far Internationally Effective — How far Expressive of the Official Interpretation of the State Concerned — Interpretation of Municipal Exactments by Municipal Courts — Whether Liable to Review by International Tribunals — Denial of Justice.

Equality of States — Apportionment of Costs in International Arbitration — Apportionment in Equal Shares as the Result of the Principle of Equality of States.

Sovereignty over Mandated Territories — Status of Mandated Territories.