Courts of Switzerland
Most courts are run by the 26 cantons, with a Federal Supreme Court at the top. Three specialised federal courts hear criminal, administrative and patent cases at first instance.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Cantonal and federal courts
Federal first-instance courts
Worth knowing
- The Federal Supreme Court cannot strike down a federal statute. It can strike down cantonal laws that break the Constitution.
- Civil and criminal procedure are the same across the whole country, even though the courts belong to the cantons.
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Sources
Other systems
African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam
TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.
