Thomas Buergenthal is the American judge on the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Prior to his election to the ICJ, he taught international law and human rights in various American universities. He was also a judge on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and served on the UN Human Rights Committee and the UN Truth Commission for El Salvador. He is a member of the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee. In addition to A Lucky Child, Judge Buergenthal is the author of more than a dozen books on international legal subjects.