Argentina's highest court. It has no separate constitutional tribunal above or beside it: constitutional questions arrive through the recurso extraordinario federal, and the Court may also use the writ of certiorari under Article 280 to decline cases without full reasons. It hears original cases involving provinces and foreign diplomats.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- supreme
- Court type
- Supreme court with constitutional jurisdiction
- Jurisdiction
- National
- Seat
- Buenos Aires
- Established
- 1863
- Composition
- Five justices, though the number has varied between five and nine by statute. The presidency rotates among them.
- Appointment
- Nominated by the President and confirmed by two-thirds of the Senate in a public hearing, following the self-imposed transparency procedure of Decree 222/2003. Justices hold office for life but need Senate reconfirmation at 75.
- Caseload
- Tens of thousands of filings a year, most disposed of under Article 280.
- Languages
- Spanish
Where an appeal goes next
Final domestically; complaints may then go to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Filing at this court
- Recurso extraordinario deadline
- 10 working days from notification
- Electronic filing
- Mandatory through the Sistema de Gestión Judicial Lex100
Decisions worth knowing
- Ekmekdjian v. Sofovich1992
Held ratified treaties superior to domestic statutes, anticipating the 1994 reform.
- Simón2005
Struck down the amnesty laws shielding dictatorship-era crimes as unconstitutional.
- Mendoza (Matanza-Riachuelo)2008
Ordered a structural clean-up of the river basin and retained supervisory jurisdiction.
- F., A. L.2012
Held that abortion after rape required no judicial authorisation.
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