Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland
Encyclopedia
The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland is the supreme court
of Switzerland
. It is located in Lausanne
.
According to the Constitution of Switzerland, the court has jurisdiction over violations of:
Because of an emphasis on direct democracy
through referendum
, the Constitution precludes the court from reviewing acts of the Federal Parliament, unless such review is specifically provided for by statute.
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It is located in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
.
According to the Constitution of Switzerland, the court has jurisdiction over violations of:
- federal law;
- public international lawInternational lawPublic international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
; - intercantonalCantons of SwitzerlandThe 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
law; - cantonal constitutional rights;
- autonomy of municipalities, and other guarantees granted by the Cantons to public corporate bodies; and
- federal and cantonal provisions concerning political rights.
Because of an emphasis on direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
through referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
, the Constitution precludes the court from reviewing acts of the Federal Parliament, unless such review is specifically provided for by statute.
Current and former judges
- Lorenz Meyer, President 2009-2010
- Arthur Aeschlimann, President 2007-2008
- Giusep NayGiusep NayGiusep Nay was the president of the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland for the years 2005 and 2006. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1988 after being nominated by the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland.Nay resigned his office in 2006...
(born 1942), President 2005-2006, 1988-2006. - Bernard CorbozBernard CorbozBernard Corboz is the Vice-President of the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland for the years 2005/2006. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1988.-External links:*...
(born 1948), Vice-President 2005-2006, elected 1990.