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@2094 Judicial branch
Afghanistan
the Bonn Agreement called for the establishment of a
Supreme Court; there is also a Minister of Justice
Albania
Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly
for a four-year term)
Algeria
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
American Samoa
High Court (chief justice and associate justices are
appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)
Andorra
Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the
Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or
Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice
or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri
Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional
Angola
Supreme Court or Tribunal da Relacao (judges are appointed by
the president)
Anguilla
High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme
Court)
Antigua and Barbuda
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint
Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands
and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction)
Argentina
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court
judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate)
Armenia
Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)
Aruba
Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the
monarch)
Australia
High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are
appointed by the governor general)
Austria
Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof;
Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court
or Verfassungsgerichtshof
Azerbaijan
Supreme Court
Bahamas, The
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts
Bahrain
High Civil Appeals Court
Bangladesh
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are
appointed by the president)
Barbados
Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the
Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)
Belarus
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president);
Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president
and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)
Belgium
Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or
Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the
monarch, although selected by the Government)
Belize
Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister)
Benin
Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court
or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Bermuda
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts
Bhutan
Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges
appointed by the monarch)
Bolivia
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year
terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each
department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
BiH Constitutional Court (consists of nine
members: four members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's
House of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's
National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of
the European Court of Human Rights); BiH State Court (consists of
nine judges and three divisions - Administrative, Appellate and
Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law
and appellate jurisdiction over cases initiated in the entities;
note - a War Crimes Chamber may be added at a future date)
note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a
number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the
Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska
has five municipal courts
Botswana
High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in
each district)
Brazil
Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed by the
president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice;
Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life)
British Virgin Islands
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting
of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of
the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the
High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary
Jurisdiction
Brunei
Supreme Court (chief justice and judges are sworn in by the
monarch for three-year terms)
Bulgaria
Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation;
Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year
terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the
two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members;
responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and
investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the
Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by
the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)
Burkina Faso
Supreme Court; Appeals Court
Burma
remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but
there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not
independent of the executive
Burundi
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; Courts
of Appeal (there are three in separate locations); Tribunals of
First Instance (17 at the province level and 123 small local
tribunals)
Cambodia
Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the
constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower
courts) exercises judicial authority
Cameroon
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High
Court of Justice (consists of 9 judges and 6 substitute judges,
elected by the National Assembly)
Canada
Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime
minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada;
Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named
variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court,
Supreme Court, and Court of Justice)
Cape Verde
Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia
Cayman Islands
Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of
Appeal
Central African Republic
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme;
Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the
president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court
of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts
Chad
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate
Courts
Chile
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the
president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates
provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is
elected by the 21-member court); Constitutional Tribunal
China
Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National
People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher,
intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily
military, maritime, and railway transport courts)
Christmas Island
Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court
Colombia
four coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of
Justice or Corte Suprema de Justical (highest court of criminal law;
judges are selected from the nominees of the Higher Council of
Justice for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of
administrative law, judges are selected from the nominees of the
Higher Council of Justice for eight-year terms); Constitutional
Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the constitution, rules on
constitutionality of laws, amendments to the constitution, and
international treaties); Higher Council of Justice (administers and
disciplines the civilian judiciary; members of the disciplinary
chamber resolve jurisdictional conflicts arising between other
courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for
eight-year terms)
Comoros
Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the
president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected
by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of
the republic)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Congo, Republic of the
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Cook Islands
High Court
Costa Rica
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected
for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)
Cote d'Ivoire
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four
chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for
financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases,
and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit
to the number of members
Croatia
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts
appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the
Republic, which is elected by the House of Representatives
Cuba
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 Turkish Cypriot area
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
elected by a Council made up of members of the legislative and
executive branches with the president presiding)
East Timor
Supreme Court of Justice, one judge appointed by the
National Parliament and the rest appointed by the Superior Council
for the Judiciary
Ecuador
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (new justices are elected by
the full Supreme Court)
Egypt
Supreme Constitutional Court
El Salvador
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by
the Legislative Assembly)
Equatorial Guinea
Supreme Tribunal
Eritrea
or 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)
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 Guiana
Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court
based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe,
and French Guiana)
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 recommendation); Constitutional Court
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
West Indies Associate States Supreme Court (an associate
judge resides in Grenada)
Guadeloupe
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over
Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Guam
Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president);
Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by
the governor)
Guatemala
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia
(thirteen 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);
Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad (five judges
are elected for concurrent five-year terms by Congress, each serving
one year as president of the Constitutional Court; one is elected by
Congress, one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed
by the President, one elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San
Carlos de Guatemala, and one by Colegio de Abogados)
Guernsey
Royal Court
Guinea
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Guinea-Bissau
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists
of nine justices who are 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 over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not
necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and
misdemeanor criminal cases)
Guyana
Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of Appeal; High
Court
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 Pius
XII on 1 May 1946
Honduras
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia
(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 (judges are appointed by the president and
remain in office until they reach the age of 65)
Indonesia
Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the
president from a list of candidates approved by the legislature);
note - the Supreme Court is preparing to assume administrative
responsibility for the lower court system, currently run by the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; a separate Constitutional
Court was invested by the president on 16 August 2003
Iran
Supreme Court
Iraq
in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn
regime by US-led coalition
Ireland
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the
advice of the prime minister and cabinet)
Israel
Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)
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 are appointed by the president
with the consent of the National Assembly)
Kuwait
High Court of Appeal
Kyrgyzstan
Supreme Court (judges are appointed for 10-year terms by
the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president);
Constitutional Court; Higher Court of Arbitration
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)
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); Court
of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; 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
The Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special Administrative
Region
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Supreme Court -
Parliament appoints the judges; Constitutional Court - Parliament
appoints the judges; Republican Judicial Council - Parliament
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
Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on
the advice of the prime minister)
Maldives
High Court
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
Man, Isle of
High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the
Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant
governor)
Marshall Islands
Supreme Court; High Court
Martinique
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
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 Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges
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 for approval
by the president)
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 the creation of 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
High Court; Court of Appeal
Nicaragua
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for
five-year terms by the National Assembly)
Niger
State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal 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
non-Islamic judges as well as traditional Islamic judges
Pakistan
Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president);
Federal Islamic or Shari'a Court
Palau
Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas
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
(judges appointed on the proposal of the Counsel 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 (justices are appointed by the president
on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and serve
until 70 years of age)
Pitcairn Islands
Island Court (island magistrate presides over the
court and is elected every three years)
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
Court of Appeal
Reunion
Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Romania
Supreme Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the Superior Council of
Magistrates)
Russia
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of
Arbitration; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the
Federation Council on the recommendation of the president
Rwanda
Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts
Saint Helena
Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court;
Juvenile Court
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
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; 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; note - the judicial
system was reformed in 1992
Serbia and Montenegro
Federal Court or Savezni Sud; Constitutional
Court; judges for both courts are elected by the Federal Assembly
for nine-year terms
note: after the promulgation of the new Constitution, the Federal
Court will have constitutional and administrative functions; it will
have an equal number of judges from each republic
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)
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 national government, most regions
have reverted to either Islamic (Shari'a) law with a provision for
appeal of all sentences, or traditional clan-based arbitration
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
Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts
Suriname
Court of Justice (justices are nominated for life)
Swaziland
High Court; Court of Appeal; 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)
Syria
Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for
four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of
Cassation; State Security Courts
Taiwan
Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with
consent of the National Assembly; note - beginning in 2003, justices
will be appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative
Yuan)
Tajikistan
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Tanzania
Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court
of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court
(consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the
president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts;
Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the
higher courts)
Thailand
Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)
Togo
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Tokelau
Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal
jurisdiction in Tokelau
Tonga
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of
Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief
justice of the Supreme Court)
Trinidad and Tobago
Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the
High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is
appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and
the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the
president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service
Commission); High Court of Justice; Court of Appeals the highest
court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
Tunisia
Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
Turkey
Constitutional Court (judges are appointed by the president);
Court of Appeals and Council of State (judges are elected by the
Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors)
Turkmenistan
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Turks and Caicos Islands
Supreme Court
Tuvalu
High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside
over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of
Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)
Uganda
Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and
approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by
the president)
Ukraine
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
United Arab Emirates
Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by
the president)
United Kingdom
House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life);
Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising
the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown
Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary
United States
Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for
life by the president with confirmation by the Senate); United
States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and
County Courts
Uruguay
Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and
elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)
Uzbekistan
Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and
confirmed by the Supreme Assembly)
Vanuatu
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president
after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the
opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on
the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)
Venezuela
Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia
(magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single
12-year term)
Vietnam
Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a
five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the
president)
Virgin Islands
US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third
Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the
governor for 10-year terms)
Wallis and Futuna
none; justice generally administered under French
law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings
administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
Yemen
Supreme Court
Zambia
Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are
appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction
to hear civil and criminal cases)
Zimbabwe
Supreme Court; High Court