People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president,
vice president, and other judges are elected by the National
Assembly)
Cyprus
Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president
and vice president)
note: there is also a Supreme Court in the area administered by
Turkish Cypriots
Czech Republic
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and
deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term
Denmark
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)
Djibouti
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Dominica
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of
Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six
judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary
Jurisdiction)
Dominican Republic
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are
appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the
president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president
of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party
congressional representative)
Ecuador
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the
Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in
December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire
court via a simple-majority resolution)
Egypt
Supreme Constitutional Court
El Salvador
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (15 judges are selected
by the Legislative Assembly; the 15 judges are assigned to four
Supreme Court chambers - constitutional, civil, penal, and
administrative conflict)
Equatorial Guinea
Supreme Tribunal
Eritrea
High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also
have military and special courts
Estonia
National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Ethiopia
Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of
the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and
appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other
federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's
Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal
Judicial Administrative Council)
European Union
Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures
that the treaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout
the EU; resolve constitutional issues among the EU institutions) -
27 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year
term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 13
justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 27
justices appointed for a six-year term
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Supreme Court (chief justice is a
nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over
civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Faroe Islands
none
Fiji
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of
Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts
Finland
Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the
president)
France
Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are
appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of
the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel
(three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the
president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the
president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat
French Polynesia
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First
Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative
Law or Tribunal Administratif
Gabon
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers -
Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts
of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts
Gambia, The
Supreme Court
Georgia
Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the
president's or chairman of the Supreme Court's recommendation);
Constitutional Court; first and second instance courts
Germany
Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht
(half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the
Bundesrat)
Ghana
Supreme Court
Gibraltar
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Greece
Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges
appointed for life by the president after consultation with a
judicial council
Greenland
High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre
Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in
Copenhagen)
Grenada
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of
Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned
to and resides in Grenada)
Guam
Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president);
Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by
the governor)
Guatemala
Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is
Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent
five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de
Justicia (13 members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a
president of the Court each year from among their number; the
president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial
judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms)
Guernsey
Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the
bailiff)
Guinea
Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance;
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Guinea-Bissau
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists
of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his
pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases);
Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals
for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases
valued at more than $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not
necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less
than $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)
Guyana
Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and
the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the
Caribbean Court of Justice
Haiti
Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Holy See (Vatican City)
there are three tribunals responsible for
civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other
tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See
note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope
PIUS XII on 1 May 1946
Honduras
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15
judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)
Hong Kong
Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region
Hungary
Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National
Assembly for nine-year terms)
Iceland
Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for
life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices
are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice)
India
Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are
appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the
age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior")
Indonesia
Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the
president from a list of candidates selected by the legislature); a
separate Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi was invested by
the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court
assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower
court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Labor
Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in
January 2006
Iran
The Supreme Court (Qeveh Qazaieh) and the four-member High
Council of the Judiciary have a single head and overlapping
responsibilities; together they supervise the enforcement of all
laws and establish judicial and legal policies; lower courts include
a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special
administrative court
Iraq
the Iraq Constitution calls for the federal judicial power to
be comprised of the Higher Juridical Council, Federal Supreme Court,
Federal Court of Cassation, Public Prosecution Department, Judiciary
Oversight Commission and other federal courts that are regulated in
accordance with the law
Ireland
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the
advice of the prime minister and cabinet)
Isle of Man
High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the
Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant
governor)
Israel
Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection
Committee - made up of all three branches of the government;
mandatory retirement age is 70)
Italy
Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15
judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by
parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative
Supreme Courts)
Jamaica
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on
the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Japan
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after
designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the
cabinet)
Jersey
Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the
bailiff)
Jordan
Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)
Kazakhstan
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7
members)
Kenya
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president);
High Court
Kiribati
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges
at all levels are appointed by the president
Korea, North
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme
People's Assembly)
Korea, South
Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president with
consent of National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices
appointed by the president based partly on nominations by National
Assembly and Chief Justice of the court)
Kosovo
Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); district courts
judges are appointed by the SRSG; municipal courts judges are
appointed by the SRSG
note: after the termination of UNMIK's mandate, the Kosovo Judicial
Council (KJC) will propose to the president candidates for
appointment or reappointment as judges and prosecutors; the KJC is
also responsible for decisions on the promotion and transfer of
judges and disciplinary proceedings against judges; at least 15% of
Supreme Court and district court judges shall be from nonmajority
communities
Kuwait
High Court of Appeal
Kyrgyzstan
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (judges of both the
Supreme and Constitutional Courts are appointed for 10-year terms by
the Jorgorku Kengesh on the recommendation of the president; their
mandatory retirement age is 70 years); Higher Court of Arbitration;
Local Courts (judges appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the National Council on Legal Affairs for a
probationary period of five years, then 10 years)
Laos
People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme
Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of
the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the
People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National
Assembly Standing Committee)
Latvia
Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by
Parliament); Constitutional Court (judges' appointments are
confirmed by Parliament)
Lebanon
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and
commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional
Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of
laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and
prime minister as needed)
Lesotho
High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on
the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate
Courts; customary or traditional court
Liberia
Supreme Court
Libya
Supreme Court
Liechtenstein
Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal
or Obergericht
Lithuania
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal;
judges for all courts appointed by the president
Luxembourg
judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2
district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative
courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative
courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all
courts are appointed for life by the monarch
Macau
Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region
Macedonia
Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges;
Constitutional Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican
Judicial Council - the Assembly appoints the judges
Madagascar
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court
or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle
Malawi
Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed
by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the
Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts
Malaysia
Civil Courts include Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High
Court of Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and High Court of Sabah and
Sarawak in states of Borneo (judges appointed by the paramount ruler
on the advice of the prime minister); Sharia Courts include Sharia
Appeal Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate Courts at
state-level and deal with religious and family matters such as
custody, divorce, and inheritance, only for Muslims; decisions of
Sharia courts cannot be appealed to civil courts
Maldives
Supreme Court; Supreme Court judges are appointed by the
President with approval of voting members of the People's Council;
High Court; Trial Courts; all lower court judges are appointed by
the Judicial Service Commission
Mali
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Malta
Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts
are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Marshall Islands
Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court
Mauritania
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower
courts
Mauritius
Supreme Court
Mayotte
Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel
Mexico
Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la
Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with
consent of the Senate)
Micronesia, Federated States of
Supreme Court
Moldova
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for
constitutional judicature)
Monaco
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the
monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council)
Mongolia
Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and
provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts;
judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved
by the president)
Montenegro
Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms);
Supreme Court (judges have life tenure)
Montserrat
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia,
one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and
presides over the High Court)
Morocco
Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of
the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch)
Mozambique
Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its
professional judges are appointed by the president and some are
elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative
Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts
note: although the constitution provides for a separate
Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence
the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases
Namibia
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)
Nauru
Supreme Court
Nepal
Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed
by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the
other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of
the Judicial Council)
Netherlands
Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for
life by the monarch)
Netherlands Antilles
Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed
by the monarch)
New Caledonia
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint
Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court
New Zealand
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note -
judges appointed by the Governor-General
Nicaragua
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges
elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
Niger
State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Nigeria
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal
Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on
the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee)
Niue
Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue
Norfolk Island
Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions
Northern Mariana Islands
Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court;
Federal District Court
Norway
Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the
monarch)
Oman
Supreme Court
note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has
judges who practice secular and Sharia law
Pakistan
Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president);
Federal Islamic or Sharia Court
Palau
Supreme Court; Court of Common Pleas; Land Court
Panama
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine
judges appointed for 10-year terms); five superior courts; three
courts of appeal
Papua New Guinea
Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by
the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive
Council after consultation with the minister responsible for
justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal
Services Commission)
Paraguay
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine
judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or
Consejo de la Magistratura)
Peru
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges
are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary)
Philippines
Supreme Court (15 justices are appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and
serve until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals; Sandigan-bayan
(special court for hearing corruption cases of government officials)
Pitcairn Islands
Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal;
Judicial Officers are appointed by the Governor
Poland
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an
indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by
the Sejm for nine-year terms)
Portugal
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges
appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)
Puerto Rico
Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance
composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court
(justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the
consent of the Senate)
Qatar
Courts of First Instance, Appeal, and Cassation; an
Administrative Court and a Constitutional Court were established in
2007; note - all judges are appointed by Amiri Decree based on the
recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council for renewable
three-year terms
Romania
Supreme Court of Justice (comprised of 11 judges appointed
for three-year terms by the president in consultation with the
Superior Council of Magistrates, which is comprised of the minister
of justice, the prosecutor general, two civil society
representatives appointed by the Senate, and 14 judges and
prosecutors elected by their peers); a separate body, the
Constitutional Court, validates elections and makes decisions
regarding the constitutionality of laws, treaties, ordinances, and
internal rules of the Parliament; it is comprised of nine members
serving nine-year terms, with three members each appointed by the
president, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies
Russia
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Supreme Arbitration
Court; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the
Federation Council on the recommendation of the president
Rwanda
Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial
Courts; District Courts; mediation committees
Saint Helena
Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on
Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts
and Nevis)
Saint Lucia
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica,
Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal
Superieur d'Appel
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
(based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
Samoa
Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and
Titles Court
San Marino
Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII
Sao Tome and Principe
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
National Assembly)
Saudi Arabia
Supreme Council of Justice
Senegal
Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final
Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals
Serbia
Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (to become court of
cassation under new constitution), appellate courts, district
courts, municipal courts
Seychelles
Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts
are appointed by the president
Sierra Leone
Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Singapore
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president
with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by
the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals
Slovakia
Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council);
Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of
nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges
elected by a council of judges and appointed by president)
Slovenia
Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly
on the recommendation of the Judicial Council); Constitutional Court
(judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and
nominated by the president)
Solomon Islands
Court of Appeal
Somalia
following the breakdown of the central government, most
regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either
secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Sharia (Islamic) law
with a provision for appeal of all sentences
South Africa
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High
Courts; Magistrate Courts
Spain
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Sri Lanka
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts
are appointed by the president
Sudan
Constitutional Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court;
National Courts of Appeal; other national courts; National Judicial
Service Commission will undertake overall management of the National
Judiciary
Suriname
Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate
court (justices are nominated for life)
Swaziland
High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are
appointed by the monarch
Sweden
Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by
the prime minister and the cabinet)
Switzerland
Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms
by the Federal Assembly)