The 'general principles of law as recognised by civilized nations' have been traditionally recognised by courts as a source of international law, using judicial reason and logic to abstract the normative rule. See for example the decision of the PCIJ in the Chorzow Factory (Indemnity) case (1928) PCIJ Series A No 17
(Source: Gillian Triggs, International Law: Contemporary Principles and Practices (LexisNexis, 2nd ed, 2011) .
General Principles of Law and International Due Process by 
General Principles of Law in the Decisions of International Criminal Courts and Tribunals by 