CIA - The World Factbook -- Field Listing

Field Listing - Judicial branch

Home Reference Maps Appendixes

Country	Judicial branch
Afghanistan	the new constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a Minister of Justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes
Albania	Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and district courts
Algeria	Supreme Court or Court 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 Government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council)
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 for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70
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 roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council 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); Superior Judicial Council (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves 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 Assembly
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 north Cyprus
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 a the National Judicial Council comprised of the President, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing party member)
East Timor	Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established, Court of Appeals is highest court
Ecuador	Supreme Court or Corte Suprema; note - per 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 (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly)
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	European Court of Justice (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied correctly) - 25 Justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 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 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; 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	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	Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (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); 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)
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); a separate Constitutional Court or Makhama 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
Iran	Supreme Court - above a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special administrative court
Iraq	Supreme Court appointed by the Prime Minister, confirmed by the Presidency Council
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 appointed by president with consent of National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief Justice of the court)
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	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	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 Suprema Corte de Justicia Nacional (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)
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 judges who practice secular and Sharia (Islamic) law
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 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	Island Court (island magistrate, appointed by the governor, presides over the court)
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 note: under the new judiciary law issued in 2003, the former two court systems, civil and Islamic law, have been merged under a higher court, the Court of Cassation, to be established for appeals
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	The Court of Serbia and Montenegro; judges are elected by the Serbia and Montenegro Parliament for six-year terms note: since the promulgation of the 2003 Constitution, the Federal Court has constitutional and administrative functions; it has 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 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 after consultation with 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; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
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 on condition of good behavior 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

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005