The US Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dennis Shea, announced in a speech to that body on Monday that the US would not back a proposal to appoint new judges to the panel. The move has effectively rendered the appellate body unable to function, meaning second-tier trade disputes can no longer be resolved moving forward.
According to the rules of the WTO, three appellate judges are required in order to review panel cases. Decisions of the WTO’s dispute settlement body require consensus, meaning no member present “formally objects to the proposed decision.”
