Judiciary of Slovenia
Encyclopedia
The judiciary in Slovenia
is one of the three constitutional
branches of government and is independent of the other two. Judges enjoy a permanent mandate and are appointed by the National Assembly
after they have been nominated by the Judicial Council
, which itself is not part of the judicial branch of the government.
All lawyers practicing before the courts must have passed a special state examination after they have finished their legal studies and completed a training period at a court or a practicing advocate. Judges are usually not chosen from practicing lawyers but rather they follow a training at a court as one of the judicial officials.
The judicial system comprises several types of court
s and is hierarchically divided in three instances. On the first instance, the ordinary courts are divided into civil
and criminal
courts and are further divided upon the importance of cases before them into 44 Okrajna (local courts for minor offences and small civil cases) and 11 Okrožna (district courts for all other cases) courts. There exist also specialised labour, social security and administrative courts. On the second instance, there are four appellate courts
(Višja sodišča) located in Celje
, Koper, Ljubljana
and Maribor
and a specialised appellate court for labour and social security located in Ljubljana. These courts hear appeals against first instance decisions concerning law and facts.
The highest court
is the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia , which is responsible for the uniform jurisprudence
and thus normally only hear appeals concerning the proper application of law.
The Constitutional Court of Slovenia
is separated from the regular judiciary system.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
is one of the three constitutional
Constitution of Slovenia
The Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia was adopted by the Slovenian National Assembly on December 23, 1991. The document is divided into ten chapters:# General Provisions# Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms# Economic and Social Relations...
branches of government and is independent of the other two. Judges enjoy a permanent mandate and are appointed by the National Assembly
National Assembly (Slovenia)
The National Assembly is the general representative body of the Slovenian nation. According to the Constitution of Slovenia and the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, it is the major part of the distinctively incompletely bicameral legislative branch of the Republic of Slovenia. It is unicameral...
after they have been nominated by the Judicial Council
Judicial Council
Judicial Council may refer to:*Canadian Judicial Council*Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church*Judicial council *Judicial Council of California...
, which itself is not part of the judicial branch of the government.
All lawyers practicing before the courts must have passed a special state examination after they have finished their legal studies and completed a training period at a court or a practicing advocate. Judges are usually not chosen from practicing lawyers but rather they follow a training at a court as one of the judicial officials.
The judicial system comprises several types of court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
s and is hierarchically divided in three instances. On the first instance, the ordinary courts are divided into civil
Civil law (area)
Civil law in continental law is a branch of law which is the general part of private law.The basis for civil law lies in a civil code. Before enacting of codes, civil law could not be distinguished from private law...
and criminal
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
courts and are further divided upon the importance of cases before them into 44 Okrajna (local courts for minor offences and small civil cases) and 11 Okrožna (district courts for all other cases) courts. There exist also specialised labour, social security and administrative courts. On the second instance, there are four appellate courts
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
(Višja sodišča) located in Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
, Koper, Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
and a specialised appellate court for labour and social security located in Ljubljana. These courts hear appeals against first instance decisions concerning law and facts.
The highest court
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...
is the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia , which is responsible for the uniform jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
and thus normally only hear appeals concerning the proper application of law.
The Constitutional Court of Slovenia
Constitutional Court of Slovenia
The Constitutional Court of Slovenia is a special court established by the Slovenian Constitution. Since its inception, the Court has been located in the city of Ljubljana.-Jurisdiction:...
is separated from the regular judiciary system.