Three questions to the president of the Federal Supreme Court
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 academic publications. We address this criticism, which is, as it were, a form of an internal supervision 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-àvis the outside world