What was the 1975 International Court of Justice ruling regarding Morocco's claims to Western Sahara?

In October 1975, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled against Morocco's claims to Spanish Sahara (Western Sahara). Morocco had argued that before Spanish colonization, the Moroccan Sultan had appointed tax collectors in the territory, establishing historical sovereignty. However, the ICJ rejected this claim on the basis that Morocco never actually exercised full sovereignty over the territory in the pre-colonial era. This ruling effectively recognized the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination, contradicting Morocco's territorial ambitions and supporting the Polisario Front's independence movement established in 1973.