The highest court of the Confederation, hearing final appeals in civil, criminal, administrative and public-law matters. It can review cantonal acts against the Federal Constitution but, under Article 190, it must apply federal statutes even where they conflict with the Constitution. Its social-security division sits separately in Lucerne.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- supreme
- Court type
- Supreme court in civil, criminal, administrative and constitutional matters
- Jurisdiction
- National — final appellate instance
- Seat
- Lausanne
- Established
- 1848
- Composition
- Around 38 federal judges organised into civil, criminal, public-law and social-law divisions.
- Appointment
- Elected by the Federal Assembly (both chambers) for renewable six-year terms, with an informal balance among parties and language regions.
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
Where an appeal goes next
None domestically; the European Court of Human Rights may be seized after domestic remedies are exhausted.
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