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The federal courts

The Courts

There are four federal courts. The highest court is the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, which rules in the final instance on cases from almost all areas of law. The three federal courts of first instance have different tasks. The Federal Criminal Court is responsible for criminal matters of particular importance to the Swiss Confederation as well as for appeals concerning judicial assistance in criminal matters. The Federal Administrative Court rules on appeals against orders of the federal administrative authorities and the Federal Patent Court on disputes over invention patents.

www.eidgenoessischegerichte.ch


Procedures in the Swiss legal system


The federal courts are located at four sites


In 2019 approximately 16,000 cases were closed

Election of judges
The judges of the federal courts are elected by the United Federal Assembly for a term of office of 6 years. Re-election is possible without restriction. At the latest, judges leave office at the end of their 68th year of age.

The United Federal Assembly also elects the presidents and vice-presidents of the courts. The presidential term of office is 2 years (With the exception of the Federal Patent Court: 6 years). A one-time re-election is possible.

There is no compulsory basic training for judges in Switzerland. A law degree is not mandatory, but it is the norm. Usually, the judges at the federal courts previously worked as judges of other instances, court clerks, law teachers, lawyers or as senior legal officials.