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The Judiciary of the Czech Republic is set out in the Constitution, which defines courts as independent institutions within the constitutional framework of checks and balances.[1]
The whole of chapter four of the Constitution of the Czech Republic is dedicated to defining the role of judicial power in the Czech Republic. It states the main function of courts of law is the protection of rights in a manner defined by legislation, and gives them sole responsibility for determining guilt and administering penalties for criminal offences.[2] Courts are defined as independent,[3] although their administration is in the hands of the Ministry of Justice.
Czech courts are presided over by professional judges, who are named for life by the President and normally may not be recalled or transferred against their will.[4]
The Czech Republic has a four-tier system of courts and two-instance proceedings.[5]
Most of the higher courts are seated in Brno; this is to counterbalance the concentration of power in the capital (pragocentrismus).
- ^ Czech Republic. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The System of Independent Courts." Archived 2016-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Hello Czech Republic (Czech Republic - The Official Website) Archived 2012-01-03 at the Wayback Machine. Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí ČR, 01 Jan. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.
- ^ Constitution, Art. 90
- ^ Constitution, Art. 81
- ^ Constitution, Art. 82
- ^ European Union. European Commission. "The System of Courts in the Czech Republic". European Judicial Atlas in Civil Matters. European Commission, 28 Feb. 2007. Web. 7 Dec. 2012.