Court structures compared
Which court has the last word? Where does an appeal go? Does the country have separate administrative courts, or a constitutional court? Pick up to four countries and see their courts side by side, drawn as simple diagrams.
Part of the Legal Families Atlas family of tools.
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How to read the diagrams
Each column is a track of courts: a line from the top court down to the first-instance courts where cases begin. Appeals travel up the arrows. A gold box across the top means one court is the final court for every track.
A dashed box at the bottom is a court that stands apart from the chain of appeals, usually a constitutional court.
Colour of each track
- Ordinary courts
- Administrative courts
- Specialised courts
- Religious courts
- Constitutional court
- Supranational courts
Every system covered
AustraliaBrazilCanadaChinaEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean UnionFranceGermanyHong KongIndiaIrelandIsraelItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaRussiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSpainTurkeyUnited States
A simplified picture, on purpose
Real court systems have many special courts and local variations. These diagrams show the main structure, which stays stable over time. Where a country’s courts are under reform or contested, the chart says so and shows only the formal structure. This is an educational overview, not legal advice.
Cite this page
TheLawToKnow Tools. Court Structures Compared. https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/court-structures.
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