Institutions
Every court, and exactly where an appeal travels next
Court structures are the part of a legal system people most often get wrong. Each entry names the tier, what the court may hear, how its judges are appointed, and the route out of it.
specialised courts
63- Albania
Special Courts against Corruption and Organised Crime
National — high-level corruption and organised crime
Specialised criminal courtsTiranaest. 2019Reviewed - Australia
Fair Work Commission
National employment relations
National workplace relations tribunalMelbourneest. 2009Reviewed - Bahrain
Sharia Courts of Bahrain
Marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance for Muslims, in separate Sunni and Jafari branches, with civil courts handling non-Muslim personal status.
Islamic personal-status courtsManamaest. 1971Reviewed - Belgium
Council of State
National — administrative acts and regulations of every level of government
Supreme administrative court and legislative adviserBrusselsest. 1946Reviewed - Bolivia
Agro-Environmental Tribunal
National
Specialised supreme court for land and environmentSucreest. 2011Reviewed - Bosnia and Herzegovina
Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
State-level offences, war crimes, organised crime and administrative review
State-level criminal and administrative courtSarajevoest. 2002Reviewed - Brazil
Superior Labour Court
National employment disputes
Supreme labour courtBrasíliaReviewed - Brunei
Syariah Court of Appeal
Appeals from the Syariah High Court in matters of Islamic family law, inheritance and offences under the Syariah Penal Code Order.
Apex Islamic-law courtBandar Seri Begawanest. 2001Reviewed - Bulgaria
Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria
Bulgaria — legality of administrative acts and secondary legislation
Supreme administrative courtSofiaReviewed - Canada
Tax Court of Canada
National tax appeals
Specialised federal courtOttawaest. 1983Reviewed - Cuba
Tribunales Militares
Offences committed by military personnel, and certain offences against state security.
Military courtsLa HabanaReviewed - Czechia
Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic
Czechia — administrative cassation, electoral and party matters
Supreme administrative courtBrnoReviewed - Dominican Republic
Tribunal Superior Electoral
Contentious electoral disputes, disputes internal to political parties, and challenges to candidacies and results.
Electoral courtSanto Domingoest. 2011Reviewed - Egypt
State Council
National
Administrative court systemCairoest. 1946Reviewed - Fiji
iTaukei Lands Appeals Tribunal
Appeals from decisions of the iTaukei Lands Commission on the ownership, boundaries and membership of the landowning units that hold iTaukei land.
Customary land tribunalSuvaReviewed - Germany
Federal Labour Court
National employment and collective labour law
Supreme court for labour mattersErfurtReviewed - Haiti
Cour supérieure des comptes et du contentieux administratif
Audit of public revenue and expenditure, and adjudication of administrative disputes between individuals and the state.
Audit and administrative courtPort-au-Princeest. 1987Reviewed - Holy See (Vatican City)
Tribunal of the Roman Rota
Universal — canonical appeals, chiefly marriage nullity
Ordinary appellate tribunal of the Apostolic SeeVatican CityReviewed - India
National Company Law Tribunal
National — company law and insolvency
Statutory tribunalNew Delhi (principal bench)est. 2016Reviewed - Iran
Court of Administrative Justice
Complaints against government agencies and officials, and review of the legality of executive regulations and bylaws.
Administrative courtTehranest. 1982Reviewed - Iraq
Personal Status Courts of Iraq
Marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance, applying the Personal Status Law 188 of 1959 to Muslims and community law to recognised non-Muslim communities.
Personal-status courtsNationwideest. 1959Reviewed - Israel
Religious Courts
Exclusive jurisdiction over marriage and divorce of members of the recognised community, and concurrent jurisdiction with the Family Courts over related matters such as maintenance.
Personal-status courtsNationwideest. 1953Reviewed - Japan
Tokyo Family Court
Tokyo Metropolis
Family courtTokyoReviewed - Jordan
Sharia Courts of Jordan
Marriage, divorce, custody, maintenance, waqf and inheritance for Muslims, with parallel councils for recognised Christian denominations.
Islamic personal-status courtsNationwideest. 1951Reviewed - Kazakhstan
AIFC Court
Civil and commercial disputes connected to the Astana International Financial Centre, or referred to it by written agreement of the parties, applying AIFC law based on the common law of England.
Common-law commercial court within a financial centreAstanaest. 2018Reviewed - Kenya
Employment and Labour Relations Court
National
Superior court of equal status to the High CourtNairobiest. 2011Reviewed - Lebanon
Personal Status Courts
Marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance for members of each of the recognised religious communities, applying that community's own law.
Confessional personal-status courtsNationwideest. 1936Reviewed - Malaysia
Syariah Courts
Islamic family law, inheritance and Syariah offences affecting Muslims, within the jurisdiction conferred by each State's enactment under item 1 of List II of the Ninth Schedule.
State Islamic-law courtsState capitalsest. 1948Reviewed - Marshall Islands
Traditional Rights Court
Determines questions of customary law and traditional practice referred to it, particularly land tenure, chiefly (iroij) title and inheritance.
Constitutional customary courtMajuroest. 1979Reviewed - Marshall Islands
Nuclear Claims Tribunal
Claims for personal injury and property damage arising from the United States nuclear testing programme in the Marshall Islands.
Compensation tribunalMajuroest. 1988Reviewed - Mexico
Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary
National
Electoral courtMexico Cityest. 1996Reviewed - Nauru
Nauru Lands Committee
Determines the ownership of Nauruan land and the distribution of estates of deceased Nauruans according to custom.
Customary land tribunalYarenest. 1956Reviewed - Netherlands
Specialised High Administrative Courts
National — social security and civil-service law; economic and trade regulation
Final instance for social-security and economic administrative lawUtrecht and The HagueReviewed - New Zealand
Māori Land Court
Jurisdiction over Māori freehold land under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993: ownership, succession, trusts, incorporations, occupation orders and partitions.
Specialist land courtVarious (seven districts)est. 1865Reviewed - Oman
Administrative Court of Oman
Challenges to administrative decisions, public-employment disputes, government contracts, and claims for compensation against public bodies.
Administrative courtMuscatest. 1999Reviewed - Pakistan
Federal Shariat Court
Determination of whether any law or provision is repugnant to the injunctions of Islam, on its own motion or on petition, and appellate jurisdiction in Hudood cases.
Court of Islamic-law reviewIslamabadest. 1980Reviewed - Palau
Land Court of Palau
Determination of ownership of land, including claims to return public land to original owners and claims arising from earlier administrations.
Specialist land courtKororest. 1996Reviewed - Panama
Maritime Courts of Panama
National, with worldwide in rem reach over vessels
Maritime courtPanama Cityest. 1982Reviewed - Panama
Administrative Tax Tribunal
National
Tax tribunalPanama Cityest. 2010Reviewed - Papua New Guinea
Village Courts
Disputes within village communities under custom: minor offences, compensation, bride price, garden and boundary disputes, and mediation, subject to monetary and penalty limits.
Customary courtNationwide (approximately 1,600 courts)est. 1975Reviewed - Paraguay
Superior Tribunal of Electoral Justice
National
Electoral courtAsunciónest. 1995Reviewed - Poland
Supreme Administrative Court of Poland
Poland — cassation appeals against administrative court judgments
Supreme administrative courtWarsawReviewed - Qatar
Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre
Civil and commercial disputes involving Qatar Financial Centre entities, and any dispute the parties agree in writing to submit to it, applying QFC law based on the common law of England.
Common-law commercial court within a financial centreDohaest. 2009Reviewed - Russia
Intellectual Property Court of Russia
Russian Federation — intellectual property disputes
Specialised commercial courtMoscowReviewed - Samoa
Land and Titles Court
Exclusive jurisdiction over customary land and matai (chiefly) titles, including the conferral, dispute and succession of titles.
Customary land and chiefly title courtMulinuʻu, Apiaest. 1903Reviewed - Saudi Arabia
Board of Grievances
Disputes with government bodies, including public contracts, administrative decisions, disciplinary matters and compensation claims against the state.
Administrative court hierarchyRiyadhest. 1955Reviewed - Saudi Arabia
Commercial Courts of Saudi Arabia
Commercial disputes between traders, company and partnership disputes, insolvency, and intellectual-property and franchise matters.
Commercial courtRiyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and other centresest. 2020Reviewed - Slovakia
Specialised Criminal Court of Slovakia
Slovakia — corruption, organised crime and offences by senior officials
Specialised criminal courtPezinokReviewed - Solomon Islands
Customary Land Appeal Court
Appeals from Local Courts on the ownership of customary land and on the identity of the persons entitled to represent a landholding group.
Customary land courtProvincial centresReviewed - South Africa
Labour Court of South Africa
National employment law
Specialist labour courtJohannesburgReviewed - Switzerland
Federal Criminal Court
National — organised crime, terrorism, complex economic and cross-cantonal cases
First-instance court for federal criminal jurisdictionBellinzonaest. 2004Reviewed - Switzerland
Federal Administrative Court
National — appeals against federal administrative decisions, including asylum
General federal administrative courtSt. Gallenest. 2007Reviewed - Tajikistan
Supreme Economic Court of Tajikistan
Commercial and economic disputes between legal entities and entrepreneurs, insolvency, and appeals from the regional economic courts.
Apex commercial courtDushanbeest. 1991Reviewed - Tonga
Land Court of Tonga
All disputes over land: tax and town allotments, hereditary estates, leases and boundaries under the Land Act.
Specialist land courtNukuʻalofaest. 1875Reviewed - Tunisia
Administrative Tribunal
National
Administrative courtTunisest. 1972Reviewed - Tuvalu
Island Courts and Lands Courts
Minor civil and criminal matters on each island, and customary land and fishing rights before the Lands Courts.
Customary and local courtsIsland centres across the nine islandsReviewed - Ukraine
High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine
Ukraine — high-level corruption cases investigated by NABU
Specialised anti-corruption courtKyivReviewed - United Arab Emirates
DIFC Courts
Civil and commercial disputes connected to the Dubai International Financial Centre, and any dispute the parties agree in writing to submit, applying DIFC law based on the common law of England, in English.
Common-law commercial court within a financial centreDubaiest. 2004Reviewed - United Arab Emirates
ADGM Courts
Civil and commercial disputes connected to the Abu Dhabi Global Market, and disputes submitted by written agreement, applying ADGM law.
Common-law commercial court within a financial centreAbu Dhabiest. 2015Reviewed - United Kingdom
Employment Tribunal
England, Wales and Scotland
Statutory tribunalRegional hearing centresReviewed - United States
United States Tax Court
National — federal tax deficiency disputes
Article I specialised courtWashington, D.C.est. 1924Reviewed - Uruguay
Administrative Court
National
Administrative court outside the ordinary judiciaryMontevideoest. 1952Reviewed - Vanuatu
Island Courts
Minor civil and criminal matters and customary land questions within their island jurisdiction, applying custom.
Customary courtIsland centresest. 1983Reviewed