Uruguay's highest court and the only body that may declare a statute unconstitutional. Its declarations apply only to the case in which they are sought, so a provision held unconstitutional remains formally in force — a narrow model of review that distinguishes Uruguay from most of the region. It also exercises cassation and administers the judiciary.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- supreme
- Court type
- Supreme court with exclusive constitutional jurisdiction
- Jurisdiction
- National
- Seat
- Montevideo
- Established
- 1907
- Composition
- Five ministers serving ten-year terms, with a mandatory retirement age of 70.
- Appointment
- Appointed by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly; if it fails to act within ninety days, the most senior appellate judge is promoted automatically.
- Languages
- Spanish
Where an appeal goes next
Final domestically; then the Inter-American system.
Decisions worth knowing
- Sabalsagaray2009
Held the Expiry Law shielding dictatorship-era crimes unconstitutional.
- Case on Law 18.8312013
Limited retroactive removal of prescription for past crimes, in tension with the Inter-American Court's Gelman judgment.
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