Then there were three

27 September 2018 By Swaha Pattanaik Follow @swahapattanaik

The system for resolving commerce disputes may grind to a halt after the United States blocked the reappointment of an appeal judge at the global trade body. The president’s disdain for the organisation is no secret, but the move undermines its value to other countries, too.

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The United States on Sept. 26 turned down a last-ditch petition to reappoint one of the four remaining judges at the World Trade Organization. The WTO’s so-called Appellate Body is designed to have seven judges, with three chosen for each case.

There are four members of the group at present, but one judge’s term expires on Sept. 30. The terms of two more – Thomas Graham, an American, and Indian chief judge Ujal Singh Bhatia – will end in December 2019. If they too are not reappointed or replaced, that will leave China's Hong Zhao alone in office until her term ends in November 2020.

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