For most of the court's history, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (France, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States) have always had a judge serving, thereby occupying three of the Western seats, one of the Asian seats and one of the Eastern European seats.
Os cinco membros permanentes do Consello de Seguridade das Nacións Unidas (Francia, Rusia, China, Reino Unido e os Estados Unidos) teñen sempre un xuíz do Tribunal, ocupando desta maneira tres dos asentos do Oeste, un dos asentos de Asia e un dos asentos da Europa Oriental.