Government > Judicial branch: Countries Compared
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| COUNTRY | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | highest courts: Supreme Court or Stera Mahkama; consists of 9 judges judge selection & term of office: justices appointed by the president with the endorsement of the Wolesi Jirga; justices serve non-renewable 10-year terms subordinate courts: Cassation and sharia |
| Akrotiri | The Court headed by a resident judge and senior judges from the UK as needed |
| Albania | Constitutional Court consists of 9 members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly who serve 9-year terms (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term); the High Court members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly for a 9-year term |
| Algeria | Supreme Court (or High Court) regulates activities of courts and tribunals; Council of State regulates body of activities of the administrative jurisdictions; Tribunal of Conflicts settles conflicts between the Supreme Court and the Tribunal of Conflicts |
| American Samoa | High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)(or Supreme Court) is the highest court in America Samoa; there is no U.S. federal court there |
| Andorra | higher judicial bodies: Supreme Council of Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia (coprinces appoint the members); oversees and administers the entire justice system; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra (5 members) three lower courts: Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional (coprinces appoint the members) |
| Angola | Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional; Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo; Court of Auditions or Tribunal de Contas; Supreme Military Court or Supremo Tribunal Militar; judges for all courts appointed by the president |
| Anguilla | High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court) |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court consisting of a High Court of Justice and a Court of Appeal (based in Saint Lucia; two judges of the Supreme Court are residents of the islands and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); Magistrates' Courts; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice |
| Argentina | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate) |
| Armenia | Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court) |
| Aruba | Common Court of Justice, Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch) |
| Australia | High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general acting on the advice of the government) |
| Austria | Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof |
| Azerbaijan | Constitutional Court the president proposes judges of all the courts to the Parliament which appoints them; Supreme Court; Economic Court |
| Bahrain | High Civil Appeals Court |
| Bangladesh | Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) |
| Barbados | Supreme Court of Judicature consists of a High Court and a Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is the highest court of appeal; based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| 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 | Constitutional Court (12 judges, 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking, appointed by the King); 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); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in the UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ); Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil jurisdiction) |
| Benin | Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle (7 members; 4 appointed by the National Assembly, 3 appointed by the President; appointed for a 5-year term for one term); Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (President of the Supreme Court appointed by the President for a 5-year term); High Court of Justice (composed of members of the Constitutional Court and 6 members appointed by the National Assembly) |
| Bermuda | Supreme Court (Chief Justice and other justices appointed by the governor; remain in office until they reach 65 years of age); Court of Appeal (President of the Court of Appeal and other justices appointed by the governor for a specific period laid out in their respective instruments of appointment); Magistrate Courts |
| Bhutan | Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) |
| Bolivia | Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms); Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (seven primary or titulares and seven alternate or suplente magistrates elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to rule on constitutional issues (at least two candidates must be indigenous)); Agro-Environmental Court (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to run on agro-environmental issues); Council of the Judiciary (five judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to rule on ethical and administrative issues in the judiciary); Plurinational Electoral Organ (seven members elected by the Assembly and the president-one member must be of indigenous origin-to six-year terms); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases); District Courts (one in each department) |
| 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 44 national judges and seven international judges and has three divisions - Administrative, Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law and cases initiated in the entities that question BiH's sovereignty, political independence, or national security or with economic crimes that have serious repercussions to BiH's economy, beyond that of an entity or Brcko District); a War Crimes Chamber opened in March 2005 |
| Botswana | High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district) |
| Brazil | Supreme Federal Tribunal or STF (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Superior Tribunal of Justice or STJ; Superior Electoral Tribunal or TSE; 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 monarch for three-year terms; Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London is final court of appeal for civil cases; Sharia courts deal with Islamic laws |
| Bulgaria | independent judiciary comprised of judges, prosecutors and investigating magistrates who are appointed, promoted, demoted, and dismissed by a 25-member Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 members, half of whom are elected by the National Assembly and the other half by the bodies of the judiciary for a 5-year term in office); three levels of case review; 182 courts of which two Supreme Courts act as the last instance on civil and criminal cases (the Supreme Court of Cassation) and appeals of government decisions (the Supreme Administrative Court) |
| Burkina Faso | Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Council of State or Conseil d'Etat; Court of Accounts or la Cour des Comptes; Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel |
| 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; the 2011 constitution calls for a Supreme Court, a Courts-Martial, and a Constitutional Tribunal of the Union |
| Burundi | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; High Court of Justice (composed of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court) |
| 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 nine judges and six substitute judges; elected by the National Assembly) |
| Canada | Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Tax Court of Canada; Provincial/Territorial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queen's Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice) |
| Cape Verde | Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia; Court of Audit; Military Courts; Fiscal and Customs Courts |
| Cayman Islands | Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal; Summary Court |
| Central African Republic | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (three judges appointed by the president, three by the president of the National Assembly, and three by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts |
| Chad | Supreme Court; Constitutional Council; High Court of Justice; 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 every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal (eight-members - two each from the Senate, Chamber of Deputies, Supreme Court, and National Security Council - review the constitutionality of laws approved by Congress) |
| China | Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local People's Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and basic courts); Special People's Courts (primarily military, maritime, railway transportation, and forestry 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, Republic of the | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme |
| Cook Islands | High Court |
| Costa Rica | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for renewable 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 are 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 presidents, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly) |
| Cyprus | Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president and vice president); subordinate courts |
| Czech Republic | Supreme Court; judges are appointed by the president for an unlimited term; Constitutional Court; 15 judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for a 10-year term; Supreme Administrative Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term; judges are appointed by the president for an unlimited term |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Constitutional Court; Appeals Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court; plus civil and military courts and tribunals |
| Denmark | Supreme Court (judges are appointed for life by the monarch) |
| Dhekelia | see Akrotiri |
| Djibouti | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court |
| Dominica | Magistrates Court, a Court of Summary Jurisdiction, and the 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) |
| 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 |
| Ecuador | National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (according to the Constitution, justices are elected through a procedure overseen by the Judiciary Council); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (Constitutional Court justices are appointed by a commission composed of two delegates each from the Executive, Legislative, and Transparency branches of government) |
| Egypt | Court of Cassation (final court of appeal in civil and criminal cases); State Council (head of court system administration); Supreme Constitutional Court (jurisdiction limited to constitutionality of laws) |
| 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 | Supreme Court; Regional, subregional, and village courts |
| Estonia | Supreme Court (chairman appointed for life by Parliament) |
| 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 Union (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout the EU, resolves disputed issues among the EU institutions, issues opinions on questions of EU law referred by member state courts) - 27 judges (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - the court can sit in chambers, in a "Grand Chamber" of 13 judges, or as the full court; General Court (a court below the Court of Justice) - 27 judges 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 | The Faroese Court or Raett (Rett (Danish)) decides both civil and criminal cases; the Court is part of the Danish legal system |
| Federated States of Micronesia | Supreme Court |
| Fiji | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts |
| Finland | general courts - deal with criminal and civil cases (include district courts, Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus, whose judges are appointed by the president); administrative courts |
| 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 |
| 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); Federal Court of Justice; Federal Administrative Court |
| Ghana | Supreme Court; High Court; Court of Appeal; regional tribunals |
| Gibraltar | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
| Greece | Supreme Civil and Criminal Court; all judges are appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council; Supreme Administrative Court and Court of Auditors; Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance |
| Greenland | High Court or Eggartuussisuuneqarfia (Landsret) (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen) |
| Grenada | local Magistrate's Courts handle limited criminal and civil matters; Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (two High Court judges are assigned to and reside in Grenada); Itinerant Court of Appeal three judges; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| 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); Supreme Court of Guam (hears appeals from Superior Court - judges appointed by governor); 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 and five alternate judges are elected by Congress for concurrent five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members are elected by Congress to 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 | Constitutional Court; 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 Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| 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 |
| 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, High Court (Court of Appeal and the Court of the First Instance), district courts, magistrates' courts, and other special courts |
| Hungary | Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms); Curia (highest court; head of Curia elected by National Assembly, the other judges elected by the president on recommendation of the head of the National Office of the Courts, a separate administrative body); Regional Courts of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president) |
| Iceland | Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the president); eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the president) |
| 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 is the final court of appeal but does not have the power of judicial review (justices are appointed by the president from a list of candidates selected by the legislature); in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi (invested by the president on 16 August 2003) has the power of judicial review, jurisdiction over the results of a general election, and reviews actions to dismiss a president from office; Labor Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in January 2006; anti-corruption courts have jurisdiction over corruption cases brought by the independent Corruption Eradication Commission |
| 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 Judicial 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 (Court of Final Appeal) (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet); Courts of First Instance (includes High Court) |
| 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); Supreme Court of Cassation or Corte Suprema di Cassazione |
| Jamaica | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| 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); Court of Appeal of Jersey |
| Jordan | Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) |
| Kazakhstan | Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (seven members) |
| Kenya | Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court(sentences according to Muslim law), and Courts Martial |
| Kiribati | Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president |
| Kosovo | Supreme Court; Appellate Court; basic courts; Constitutional Court |
| 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 Jogorku 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, People's Provincial and Municipal Courts, People's District Courts, and Military Courts |
| Latvia | Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by parliament); Constitutional Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by parliament) |
| Lebanon | Constitutional Council (rules on the constitutionality of laws); Judicial Council (for politically sensitive and serious criminal cases); Supreme Council (for charges against the president and prime minister as needed); Courts of Cassation (3 for civil and commercial cases and 1 for criminal cases); judicial courts (for first instance civil, commercial, and criminal cases); administrative courts (for issues arising from decisions issued by the state or its branches); religious courts (for issues of personal status, family; Lebanon recognizes 18 religous denominations); military courts (for issues related to military and national security) |
| 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 courts |
| Liberia | Supreme Court |
| Libya | Supreme Court |
| Liechtenstein | Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgericht; 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, with Seimas approval required for judges on the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court |
| Luxembourg | Constitutional Court; judicial courts and tribunals (Superior Court of Justice includes Court of Appeal and Court of Cassation, 2 district tribunals, 3 lesser tribunals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, Administrative Tribunal and Administrative Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch |
| Macau | Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region |
| 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 are appointed by the king 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 First Instance; Court of Appeal |
| Marshall Islands | Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights 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 de la Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate) |
| 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); Constitutional Court (this independent court resolves disputes about potentially unconstitutional laws and acts of the president, members of parliament, and the cabinet) |
| Montenegro | Constitutional Court (five judges serve 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, Constitutional Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts |
| 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 (the president appoints the chief justice on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the chief justice appoints other judges 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 |
| Nicaragua | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) |
| Niger | Constitutional Court (7 judges with 6-year terms, nominated by the President); Court of Cassation (highest court dealing with judicial matters); Council of State (highest court dealing with administrative matters); Court of Finances (highest court dealing with public finances) |
| Nigeria | Supreme Court (judges recommended by the National Judicial Council and appointed by the president); Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government from a pool of judges recommended by the National Judicial Council) |
| Niue | Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue |
| Norfolk Island | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions |
| North Korea | Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly) |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Commonwealth Supreme Court (consists of three justices appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Commonwealth Senate; appeals of Commonwealth Supreme Court decisions referred to the US Supreme Court); Superior Court (consists of five judges appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Commonwealth Senate); US Federal District Court (judges are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the US Senate) |
| Norway | Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch) |
| Oman | Supreme Court |
| 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 staggered 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 proposed by the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura, and approved by the Senate and president) |
| 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 | Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) consists of 13 judges (10 appointed by the Assembly and 3 are coopted by the 10 judges) for six-year terms; Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal de Justica); Audit Court (auditoria do Tribunal); Supreme Administrative Court (Supremo Tribunal Administrativo); all judges are 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 |
| Republic of Macedonia | Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; Judicial Council |
| Reunion | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel |
| 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 | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
| Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (consisting of a Court of Appeal and a High Court; based on Saint Lucia; two judges of the Supreme Court reside in Saint Kitts and Nevis); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| Saint Lucia | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (consists of a High Court and a Court of Appeals; based on Saint Lucia; three judges of the Supreme Court reside in Saint Lucia); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (consisting of a High Court and Court of Appeals; based on Saint Lucia; two judges of the Supreme Court reside in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
| Samoa | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; 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); Constitutional Court (five judges appointed by the National Assembly for five year terms); Court of First Instance; Audit Court |
| Saudi Arabia | Supreme Council of Justice |
| Senegal | Constitutional Council; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals |
| Serbia | courts of general jurisdiction (municipal courts, district courts, Appellate Courts, the Supreme Court of Cassation); courts of special jurisdiction (commercial courts, the High Commercial Court, the High Magistrates Court, the Administrative Court) |
| Serbia and Montenegro | courts of general jurisdiction (municipal courts, district courts, Appellate Courts, the Supreme Court of Cassation); courts of special jurisdiction (commercial courts, the High Commercial Court, the High Magistrates Court, the Administrative Court) |
| 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 consists of High Court and Court of Appeals; Specialist Commercial Courts consist of Admiralty Court, Intellectual Property Court, and Abritation Court |
| 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 | Constitutional Court; Federal Government-level courts; Federal Member-level courts |
| South Africa | Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts |
| South Korea | 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) |
| South Sudan | Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, High Courts, County Courts |
| Spain | Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo; Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucioanal de Espana |
| 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); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| Swaziland | Supreme Court; High Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission |
| Sweden | Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen; Supreme Administrative Court note: the Supreme Court is the highest court of general jurisdiction and the Supreme Administrative Court is the highest administrative court |
| Switzerland | Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly) |
| Syria | Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the president); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the president); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts - Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes); Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to marriage and divorce) |
| Taiwan | Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan) |
| Tajikistan | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Constitutional Court, Supreme Economic Court |
| 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 | Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Justice, and Supreme Administrative Court; all judges are appointed by the king; the king's appointments to the Constitutional Court are made upon the advice of the Senate; the nine Constitutional Court judges are drawn from the Supreme Court of Justice and Supreme Administrative Court as well as from among substantive experts in law and social sciences outside the judiciary |
| The Bahamas | Privy Council in London; Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; Magistrates' Courts |
| The Gambia | Supreme Court |
| Togo | Constitutional Court; High Court of Justice; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel; Court of Audits |
| 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 (Chief Justice and high court justices from overseas chosen and approved by Privy Council) |
| 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); the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| 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); High Commercial Court |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
| 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 | Supreme Court of the UK (established in October 2009 taking over appellate jurisdiction formerly vested in the House of Lords is the final court of appeal); Senior Courts of England and Wales (comprising the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland); Scotland's Court of Session and High Court of the Justiciary |
| United States | Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); 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); Constitutional Court, Arbitration Court, Higher Economic Court |
| 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 Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (32 magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term) |
| Vietnam | Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president for a five-year term) |
| Virgin Islands | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) |
| Wallis and Futuna | 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; a court of appeal is located in Noumea, New Caledonia |
| 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 |
Citation
Statistics for Government > Judicial branch
Agriculture
Statistics and graphs related to agriculture are found here. How many agricultural workers are there per hectare? Tractors? Which country produces the maximum cotton? Who is the biggest exporter of bananas? Click in if these interest you.
TOP STATS: Arable land > Hectares, Rural population, Agricultural land > Sq. km and 322 more
Background
What is the background of the country? National bird? Get a quick summary of countries in this section.
TOP STATS: Overview, National tree, Full name and 21 more
Conflict
TOP STATS: Terrorism > Global Terrorism Index, Civil war and unrest > Arab Spring death toll, War > World War I > Total deaths and 29 more
Cost of living
TOP STATS: Average monthly disposable salary > After tax, Local purchasing power, Prices at markets > Cigarettes > Pack of Marlboro and 52 more
Crime
No explanation needed for this section. Murders. Guns. Jails. Crimes. Judges. We have all of that and more out here. Actually we go deeper than your routine crime beat sections. How many adults were prosecuted? What percentage were convicted? How many were women? What is the death penalty rate in different countries? How safe do the citizens perceive they are? Do they trust the police? Will they report a crime? You'll find surprising answers here.
TOP STATS: Violent crime > Murder rate, Violent crime > Murder rate per million people, Violent crime > Intentional homicide rate and 183 more
Culture
TOP STATS: Happy Planet Index, Sexuality > Homosexuality > Legality of homosexual acts, Food and drink > Beer consumption and 67 more
Disasters
The tsunami rocked the civilized world with its widespread devastation. Learn the details of the losses incurred by the countries affected. How are the developed countries helping out? Who has pledged the most money? How do they compare? Check out...
TOP STATS: Chernobyl > Contaminated area (percent of country), Storm deaths > 2009, Tsunami > Death toll and 47 more
Economy
This category is all about money. GDP. Aid. Gross national income. Debt. Inflation. Trade balance. Foreign investment. Government spending. You get the idea.
TOP STATS: GDP, GDP per capita, Gross National Income and 3717 more
Education
Any and every statistic which can be collected about schooling and the whole education sector can be found here. What is the duration of education in different countries? Is the percentage of enrollment different for sexes? How long do students spend learning their mother tongues? What is the mathematical aptitude of the average 8 year old? How many university degrees are awarded to females? What is the percentage of students who find school boring? We've tabulated them all for you.
TOP STATS: Children out of school, primary, Pupil-teacher ratio, primary, Compulsary education duration and 908 more
Energy
How does your country fare in Traditional Fuel Consumption? In Geothermal Energy Consumption? How many barrels of oil were imported into your country last year? Does your production of hydroelectricity match your consumption? Which countries in the world successfully produce nuclear energy for consumption? What is the average energy usage per person? All your questions regarding different forms of energy, their generation and consumption have been answered here.
TOP STATS: Commercial energy use, Electricity > Consumption > Per capita, Electricity > Consumption and 2387 more
Environment
How much area is declared as protected in the different countries of the world? How many endangered species of reptiles, mammals, birds etc are found in different countries? What are the national levels of pollution? Emissions? Nuclear waste generation? Salination of water resources and expenditure for waste treatment. International treaties, ratification and complaince. You'll find almost all statistics related to environmental pollution and conservational efforts here.
TOP STATS: Marine fish catch, Ecological footprint, Pollution perceptions > Air pollution and 331 more
Geography
All the stats pertaining to the physical features of the country in question can be found here. This implies that if you are looking for the co-ordinates or map references of countries, the land area, climate, boundaries, terrain, natural resources or coastlines, your search ends here.
TOP STATS: Land area > Square miles, Area > Comparative, Climate and 102 more
Government
This category is all about the functioning of the government machinery. So, you'll find stats on the goverment administrative divisions, the executive, legistative and judiciary branches, constitution, parliamentary seats, secession attemps, suffrage, corruption - everything connected with our esteemed politicians.
TOP STATS: Government type, Legal system, Legislative branch and 392 more
Health
Statistics about the health of a country's citizens are present in this category. You can find stats related to birth weights, rates on smoking, HIV incidence, incidence of cancer, circulatory and other diseases, stats on infant and maternal mortality, life expectancy, suicide rates, teenage pergnancy and other health related topics. We also have some details on health expenditure and health care funding out here.
TOP STATS: Physicians > Per 1,000 people, Births and maternity > Total fertility rate, Human height > Average female height and 529 more
Industry
Lists all industry related stats like production of cars, buses trucks, LCVs, different industries like biotech firms and so on.
TOP STATS: Manufacturing output, Manufacturing, value added > Current US$ per capita, Manufacturing, value added > Current US$ and 94 more
Labor
You can find detailed stats on the economic activity of the labor force broken over different age-groups and sexes. We also have stats on employment in different sectors, trade union memberships, the average work time, the average number of days the workers take off or even just don't show up! How many female decision makers does a country have? Doctors? What is the normal gender division of the housework? What are the unemployment details and benefits available? How long does an average person need to work to buy a loaf of bread? A car? A television set? Compare these values for different countries.
TOP STATS: Salaries and benefits > Minimum wage, Average monthly wage > Local currency > Net, Labor force > By occupation and 374 more
Language
What are the main languages spoken in the countries? How many English language speakers are there per country? How about French and Spanish? Check out the results here..
TOP STATS: Languages, Major language(s), French status and 21 more
Lifestyle
Here we rank countries based on amphetamine and cannabis use. But more interestingly, we go into their mindset. What do the citizens of different countries think of their armed forces? Will they report a crime? Do they trust their neighbours? What about their governments? Are they happy with life in general? How charitable are they? What is their political orientation? Are they proud of their countries? Will they fight for their countries? This is an utterly captivating category.
TOP STATS: Quality of life index, Happiness level > Very happy, Happiness net and 110 more
Media
Countries are ranked here depending on the penetration level of computers, phones, fax machines, radios, television sets, mobile phones etc. We also have other stats related to media like vastness of different networks, revenue and employment in different telecom sectors here.
TOP STATS: Telephones > Mobile cellular > Per capita, Internet > Internet users per thousand people, Internet users and 429 more
Military
Want to know the size of the army in Iran? The number of tanks in Germany? Want to compare the weapon holdings in North and South Korea? Worried about the WMDs world over? Need to know the exact number of countries who have signed terrorism conventions? Or just curious about the coalition forces in the Gulf War? We've tried to collect all details available in the public domain for you here.
TOP STATS: Air force > Combat aircraft, Army > Main battle tanks, Budget and 285 more
People
Facts relating to the actual life of people are found here. So we have birth and death rates, marriage and divorce rates, single parents, one-person households and teenage pregnancies, size of households and elderly institutions, ethnicity and chinese population - just about every stat you always wanted to know! What is the average age of women when they first get married? How happy are they when compared to their mothers? What is the gender development index in different countries? What will the population be in 2020? Don't miss this category even if you didn't come searching for it specifically.
TOP STATS: Population, Age distribution > Population aged 0-14, Population > Population growth, past and future and 1058 more
Religion
Where else could you find the number of Catholics, Catholic priests, Catholic parishes, Jehovahs Witnesses and the number of permanent deacons, and compare them all between major nations in a per-capita format? Check them all here.
TOP STATS: Religions, Religions > All, Major religion(s) and 111 more
Sports
Who scored the maximum medals in the olympics? What about the summer and winter olympics? What are the latest FIFA rankings? Which country has the maximum number of Mt. Everest ascents? Get all the answers in this sports section.
TOP STATS: Chess > GrandMasters, Chess > GrandMasters per million, Winter olympic medals > All time and 508 more
Terrorism
This is a category which needs particular highlighting as the growing concern and need for awareness continues to press upon our front pages, in the minds of our leadership and politicians, and indeed, in our everyday conversations. We hope to expand this category into timely and essential data you can rely on to make sense of global and national security, political and societal violence, and our perceptions which are shaped by these notions.
TOP STATS: Global Terrorism Indicator, Number of Known Terrorist Organizations Present, Background and 30 more
Transport
Here you can find the numbers on the different modes of transportation. How many cars does a country have? Airports? What is the lenght of its highways? What proportion is paved? What about runways, heliports and ports? Lets not leave out waterways or the merchant navy. We have them all here.
TOP STATS: Road > Motor vehicles per 1000 people, Road network length > Km, Road density > Km of road per 100 sq. km of land area and 446 more
Travel
TOP STATS: Inbound tourism > Arrivals, Outbound tourism > Departures, Inbound tourism > Tourist expenditure per capita and 19 more
Weather
TOP STATS: Temperature > Highest temperature ever recorded, Precipitation, Precipitation per capita and 4 more
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COUNTRIES COVERED
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|---|---|
| Judge selection and term of office | 224 |
| Subordinate courts | 226 |
