Is the Federal Supreme Court also
subject to review?
The
Federal Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in Switzerland. In this
respect, there is no judicial review of our decisions. At most, an appeal can
be submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. Our important decisions are
discussed and criticised in scientific papers. We address this criticism, which
is, so to speak, an internal control for us. As far as the administration of the
court is concerned, we are subject to the supervision of the Parliament.
The decisions of the Federal
Supreme Court are discussed in the press ...
Yes
- and that is important. We are aware that it can be difficult for many
citizens to understand legal terminology. Therefore, to better communicate our
decisions, we now publish press releases more frequently.
Specialisation is a trend - also at
the Federal Supreme Court?
A
rough kind of "specialisation" results from the fact that the seven
court divisions are each responsible for specific areas of law. If these are
very diverse, we take the specialised knowledge of a court member into account
when assigning cases for the decisions to be drafted.
The President of the Federal Supreme Court is elected by Parliament for
a term of two years. She represents the Federal Supreme Court vis-à-vis the
outside world.