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.