The Law To Know

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Courts of Colombia

Separate high courts for ordinary cases, for administrative cases and for the Constitution, and a special court for crimes of the armed conflict. Judges can also protect rights quickly through the tutela.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Ordinary courts

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema)Civil, labour and criminal chambers
Superior Tribunals of the district
Circuit and municipal judges

Administrative courts

Council of State (Consejo de Estado)
Administrative tribunals and judges

Stands apart from the chain of appeals

Constitutional CourtReviews laws and chooses tutela decisions for review to settle rights questions
Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP)Created by the 2016 peace agreement
Appeals travel up the arrows. Boxes with a heavier border are the top court of each track.

Worth knowing

  • Any judge can decide a tutela, a fast court order to protect a basic right, and the Constitutional Court reviews selected ones.
  • Indigenous authorities may exercise their own justice within their territories, under the Constitution.

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Read the Colombia profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

Sources

Other systems

African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam

TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.