According to the principle of universal jurisdiction, a state may prosecute certain crimes under its criminal laws that are considered worthy of punishment and necessary on an international level due to the violation of universally recognized legal goods, regardless of the location of the crime, the nationality of the perpetrator and the victim, and the applicable law at the crime scene. By invoking the principle of universal jurisdiction, national criminal law norms may assert their applicability to all people in the world, irrespective of any differences with other legal systems. In light of the universal claim to punishment based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, this work engages with the legitimacy of the principle through philosophical, international legal, constitutional, and criminal theoretical considerations.