Government > Judicial branch > Subordinate courts: Countries Compared
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DEFINITION:
This entry is derived from Government > Judicial branch, which includes three subfields. The highest court(s) subfield includes the name(s) of a country's highest level court(s), the number and titles of the judges, and the types of cases heard by the court, which commonly are based on civil, criminal, administrative, and constitutional law. A number of countries have separate constitutional courts. The judge selection and term of office subfield includes the organizations and associated officials responsible for nominating and appointing judges, and a brief description of the process. The selection process can be indicative of the independence of a country's court system from other branches of its government. Also included in this subfield are judges' tenures, which can range from a few years, to a specified retirement age, to lifelong appointments. The subordinate courts subfield lists the courts lower in the hierarchy of a country's court system. A few countries with federal-style governments, such as Brazil, Canada, and the US, in addition to their federal court, have separate state- or province-level court systems, though generally the two systems interact.
| COUNTRY | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Appeals Courts; Primary Courts; Special Courts for issues including narcotics, security, property, family, and juveniles |
| Akrotiri | Resident Judges' Court; Courts Martial |
| Albania | Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance |
| Algeria | appellate or wilaya courts; first instance or daira tribunals |
| American Samoa | district and village courts |
| Andorra | Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts |
| Angola | provincial and municipal courts |
| Anguilla | Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Industrial Court; Magistrates' Courts |
| Argentina | federal level appellate, district, and territorial courts; provincial level supreme, appellate, and first instance courts |
| Armenia | 2 |
| Aruba | Courts in First Instance |
| Australia | subordinate courts at the federal level: Federal Court; Federal Magistrates' Courts of Australia; Family Court; subordinate courts at the state and territory level: Local Court - New South Wales; Magistrates' Courts â Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory; District Courts â New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia; County Court â Victoria; Family Court â Western Australia; Court of Petty Sessions â Norfolk Island |
| Austria | Courts of Appeal (4); Regional Courts (20); district courts (120); county courts |
| Azerbaijan | Courts of Appeal (replaced the Economic Court in 2002); district and municipal courts; |
| Bahrain | High Court of Appeal; middle and lower civil courts; higher and lower shariah courts, and the High Shariah Court of Appeal |
| Bangladesh | civil courts include: Assistant Judge's Court; Joint District Judge's Court; Additional District Judge's Court; District Judge's Court; criminal courts include: Court of Sessions; Court of Metropolitan Sessions; special courts/tribunals; Metropolitan Magistrate Courts; Magistrate Court |
| Barbados | Magistrates' Courts |
| Belarus | regional, district, city, town, and military courts |
| Belgium | Courts of Appeal; regional courts; specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, and audit issues; magistrate's courts; justices of the peace |
| Belize | Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil) |
| Benin | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; district courts; village courts; Assize courts |
| Bermuda | commercial court (began in 2006); magistrates' courts |
| Bhutan | High Court (first appellate court); District or Dzongkhag Courts; sub-district or Dungkhag Courts |
| Bolivia | Agro-Environmental Court; Council of the Judiciary; District Courts (in each of the 9 administrative departments) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | the Federation has 10 cantonal courts plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has a supreme court, 5 district courts, and a number of municipal courts |
| Botswana | Industrial Court (with circuits scheduled monthly in the capital city and in three districts); Magistrates Courts (one in each district); Customary Court of Appeal; Paramount Chief's Court/Urban Customary Court; Senior Chief's Representative Court; Chief's Representativeâs Court; Headman's Court |
| Brazil | Federal Appeals Court, Superior Court of Justice, Superior Electoral Court, regional federal courts; state court system |
| British Virgin Islands | Magistrates' Courts |
| Brunei | Intermediate Court; Magistrate's Courts; Juvenile Court; small claims courts; lower sharia courts |
| Bulgaria | appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial |
| Burkina Faso | Appeals Court; High Court; first instance tribunals; district courts; specialized courts relating to issues of labor, children, and juveniles; village (customary) courts |
| Burma | High Courts of the Region; High Courts of the State; Court of the Self-Administered Division; Court of the Self-Administered Zone; district and township courts; special courts (for juvenile, municipal, and traffic offenses); courts martial |
| Burundi | Courts of Appeal; County Courts; Courts of Residence |
| Cambodia | municipal and provincial courts; appellate courts; military court |
| Cameroon | Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrate's courts |
| Canada | federal level: Federal Court of Appeal; Federal Court; Tax Court; federal administrative tribunals; courts martial; provincial/territorial: provincial superior, appeals, first instance, and specialized courts; in 1999, the Nunavut Court - a circuit court with the power of a superior court and the territorial courts - was established to serve isolated settlements |
| Cape Verde | first instance (municipal) courts; audit, military, and fiscal and customs courts |
| Cayman Islands | Summary Court |
| Central African Republic | high courts; magistrates' courts |
| Chad | High Court of Justice; Courts of Appeal; tribunals; justices of the peace |
| Chile | Courts of Appeal; oral criminal tribunals; military tribunals; local police courts; specialized tribunals and courts in matters such as family, labor, customs, taxes, and electoral affairs |
| China | Higher People's Courts; Intermediate People's Courts; District and County People's Courts; Autonomous Region People's Courts; Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues |
| Colombia | Superior Tribunals (appellate courts for each of the judicial districts); regional courts; civil municipal courts; Superior Military Tribunal; first instance administrative courts |
| Comoros | Court of Appeals (in Moroni); Tribunal de premiere; island village (community) courts; religious courts |
| Congo, Republic of the | courts of appeal; regional and district courts; employment tribunals; juvenile courts |
| Cook Islands | justices of the peace |
| Costa Rica | appellate courts; first instance and justice of the peace courts; Superior Electoral Tribunal |
| Cote d'Ivoire | Courts of Appeal (organized into civil, criminal, and social chambers); first instance courts; peace courts |
| Croatia | Administrative Court; county, municipal, and specialized courts |
| Cuba | People's Provincial Courts; People's Regional Courts; People's Courts |
| Cyprus | Republic of Cyprus district courts; Assize Courts; specialized courts for issues relating to family, industrial disputes, military, and rent control; TRNC Assize Courts; district and family courts |
| Czech Republic | High Court; superior, regional, and district courts |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | State Security Court; Court of Appeals (organized into administrative and judiciary sections); Tribunal de Grande; magistrates' courts; customary courts |
| Denmark | Special Court of Indictment and Revision; 2 High Courts; Maritime and Commercial Court; county courts |
| Dhekelia | Resident Judges' Court; Courts Martial |
| Djibouti | High Court of Appeal; 5 Courts of First Instance; customary courts |
| Dominica | Court of Summary Jurisdiction; magistrates' courts |
| Dominican Republic | courts of appeal; courts of first instance; justices of the peace; special courts for juvenile, labor, and land cases; Contentious Administrative Court for cases filed against the government |
| East Timor | Court of Appeal; district courts; magistrates' courts |
| Ecuador | Fiscal Tribunal; Superior Court (one for each province); lower provincial and cantonal courts |
| Egypt | Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004) |
| El Salvador | Chambers of Second Instance; Courts of First Instance; Courts of Peace |
| Equatorial Guinea | Court of Guarantees; military courts; Courts of Appeal; first instance tribunals; district and county tribunals |
| Eritrea | regional/zonal courts; community courts; special courts; sharia courts (for issues dealing with Muslim marriage, inheritance, and family); military courts |
| Estonia | circuit (appellate) courts; administrative, county, city, and specialized courts |
| Ethiopia | federal high courts and federal courts of first instance; state court systems (mirror structure of federal system); sharia courts and customary and traditional courts |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | Magistrate's Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
| Federated States of Micronesia | the highest state-level courts are: Chuuk Supreme Court; Korsae State Court; Pohnpei State Court; Yap State Court |
| Fiji | Magistrates' Court (organized into civil, criminal, juvenile, and small claims divisions) |
| Finland | 6 |
| France | appellate courts or Cour d'Appel; regional courts or Tribunal de Grande Instance; first instance courts or Tribunal' d'instance |
| French Polynesia | Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif |
| Gabon | Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; county courts; military courts |
| Georgia | Courts of Appeal; regional (town) and district courts |
| Germany | Federal Administrative Court; Federal Finance Court; Federal Labor Court; Federal Social Court; each of the 16 German states or Land has its own constitutional court and a hierarchy of ordinary (civil, criminal, family) and specialized (administrative, finance, labor, social) courts |
| Ghana | Court of Appeal; High Court; Circuit Court; District Court; regional tribunals |
| Gibraltar | Court of First Instance; Magistrates' Court; specialized tribunals for issues relating to social security, taxes, and employment |
| Greece | Supreme Administrative Court; Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; Court of Auditors |
| Greenland | Court of Greenland; 18 district or magistrates' courts |
| Grenada | magistrates' courts; Court of Magisterial Appeals |
| Guam | Superior Court of Guam - includes several divisions; US Federal District Court for the District of Guam (a US territorial court; appeals beyond this court are heard before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit) |
| Guatemala | numerous first instance and appellate courts |
| Guernsey | Court of Alderney; Court of the Seneschal of Sark; Magistrate's Court (includes Juvenile Court); Contracts Court; Ecclesiastical Court; Court of Chief Pleas |
| Guinea | Courts of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; courts of first instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; labor court; military tribunal; High Court of Justice; justices of the peace |
| Guinea-Bissau | Appeal Court; regional (first instance) courts; military court |
| Guyana | Land Court; magistrates' courts |
| Haiti | Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; magistrates' courts; special courts |
| Holy See (Vatican City) | Appellate Court of Vatican City; Tribunal of Vatican City |
| Honduras | courts of appeal; courts of first instance; peace courts |
| Hong Kong | High Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance); District Courts (includes Family and Land Courts); magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals |
| Hungary | regional courts of appeal; county courts, including the Municipal Court of Budapest; local courts |
| Iceland | 8 |
| India | District Courts; Labour Court |
| Indonesia | High Courts of Appeal, district courts, religious courts |
| Iran | Penal Courts I and II; Islamic Revolutionary Courts; Courts of Peace; Special Clerical Court (functions outside the judicial system and handles cases involving clerics); military courts |
| Iraq | Courts of Appeal (governorate level); courts of first instance; personal status, labor, criminal, juvenile, and religious courts |
| Ireland | High Court, Court of Criminal Appeal; circuit and district courts |
| Isle of Man | High Court; Court of Summary Gaol Delivery; Summary Courts; magistrate's Court; specialized courts |
| Israel | district and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; special and religious courts |
| Italy | various lower civil and criminal courts (primary and secondary tribunals, courts, and courts of appeal) |
| Jamaica | resident magistrate courts, district courts, and petty sessions courts |
| Japan | 8 |
| Jersey | Magistrate's Court; Youth Court; Petty Debts Court; Parish Hall Enquires (a process of preliminary investigation into youth and minor adult offenses to determine need for presentation before a court) |
| Jordan | courts of appeal; magistrate courts; courts of first instance; religious courts; State Security Court |
| Kazakhstan | regional and local courts |
| Kenya | High Court; Court of Appeal; courts martial; magistrates' courts; religious courts |
| Kiribati | Court of Appeal; magistrates' courts |
| Kosovo | Court of Appeals (organized into 4 departments: General, Serious Crime, Commercial Matters), and Administrative Matters; Basic Court (located in 9 municipalities, each with several branches) |
| Kuwait | High Court of Appeal; Court of First Instance; Summary Court |
| Kyrgyzstan | Higher Court of Arbitration; oblast (provincial) and city courts |
| Laos | provincial, municipal, district, and military courts |
| Latvia | district (city) and regional courts |
| Lebanon | Courts of Appeal (6); Courts of First Instance; specialized tribunals, religious courts; military courts |
| Lesotho | Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional courts; Courts Martial |
| Liberia | judicial circuit courts; special courts including criminal, civil, labor, traffic; magistrate and traditional or customary courts |
| Liechtenstein | Court of Appeal or Obergericht (second instance), Court of Justice (first instance), Administrative Court, county courts |
| Lithuania | Court of Appeals; district and local courts |
| Luxembourg | district and local tribunals and courts |
| Macau | Court of Second Instance; Court of First instance; Lower Court; Administrative Court |
| Madagascar | Courts of Appeal; provincial and city tribunals |
| Malawi | High Court; magistrate courts; Industrial Relations Court; district and city traditional or local courts |
| Malaysia | Court of Appeal; High Court; Sessions Court; Magistrates' Court |
| Maldives | High Court; Criminal, Civil, Family, Juvenile, and Drug Courts; Magistrate Courts (on each of the inhabited islands) |
| Mali | High Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases of high treason or criminal offenses by the president or ministers while in office) |
| Malta | Court of Criminal Appeal; Civil Court (divided into the General Jurisdiction Section, Family Section, and Voluntary Section); Criminal Court; Court of Magistrates; Gozo Courts (for the islands of Gozo and Comino |
| Marshall Islands | High Court; District Courts; Traditional Rights Court; Community Courts |
| Mauritania | High Court of Justice (cases involving treason and criminal acts of high government officials); courts of appeal; wilaya (regional) courts (located at the headquarters of each of the 13 regions); commercial and labor courts; criminal courts; moughataa (district) courts; informal/customary courts |
| Mauritius | Court of Civil Appeal; Court of Criminal Appeal; Public Bodies Appeal Tribunal (formed by a 2008 constitutional amendment) |
| Mexico | federal level includes Electoral Tribunal, circuit, collegiate, and unitary courts; state level and district level courts |
| Moldova | Courts of Appeal; Court of Business Audit; municipal courts |
| Monaco | Court of Appeal; Civil Court of First Instance |
| Mongolia | aimag (provincial) and capital city appellate courts; soum, inter-soum, and district courts; Administrative Cases Courts (established in 2004) |
| Montenegro | Administrative Court; Court of Appeal; regional and first instance courts |
| Montserrat | magistrate's court |
| Morocco | courts of appeal; regional and sadad courts (for religious, civil and administrative, and penal adjudication) |
| Mozambique | Administrative Court (capital city only); provincial courts or Tribunais Judicias de Provincia; District Courts or Tribunais Judicias de Districto; customs courts; maritime courts; courts marshal; labor courts; community courts |
| Namibia | High Court; Labor Court; regional and district magistrates' courts; community courts |
| Nauru | District Court, Family Court |
| Nepal | appellate and district courts |
| Netherlands | courts of appeal; district courts, each with up to 5 subdistrict courts |
| New Caledonia | Courts of First Instance include: civil, juvenile, commercial, labor, police, criminal, Assizes, and also a pre-trial investigation chamber; Joint Commerce Tribunal; administrative courts |
| New Zealand | Court of Appeal; High Court; tribunals and authorities; district courts; specialized courts for issues related to employment, environment, Maori lands, and military |
| Nicaragua | Appeals Court; first instance civil, criminal, and military courts |
| Niger | Court of Cassation; Council of State; Court of Finances; various specialized tribunals and customary courts |
| Nigeria | Court of Appeal; Federal High Court; High Court of the Federal Capital Territory; Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory; Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory; state court system similar in structure to federal system |
| Niue | High Court |
| Norfolk Island | Petty Court of Sessions; specialized courts including a Coroner's Court and the Employment Tribunal |
| North Korea | provincial, municipal, military, special courts; people' courts (lowest level) |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Superior Court |
| Norway | Courts of Appeal or Lagmensrett; regional and district courts; Conciliation Boards; ordinary and special courts |
| Oman | Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; sharia courts; magistrates' courts |
| Pakistan | High Courts; Federal Shariat Court; provincial and district civil and criminal courts; specialized courts for issues such as taxation, banking, customs, etc. |
| Palau | National Court and other 'inferior' courts |
| Panama | appellate courts or Tribunal Superior; Labor Supreme Courts; Court of Audit; circuit courts or Tribunal Circuital (2 each in 9 provinces); municipal courts; electoral, family, maritime, and adolescent courts |
| Papua New Guinea | district, village, and juvenile courts |
| Paraguay | appellate courts; first instance courts; minor courts, including justices of the peace |
| Peru | Court of Constitutional Guarantees; Superior Courts or Cortes Superiores; specialized civil, criminal, and mixed courts; two types of peace courts in which professional judges and selected members of the local communities preside |
| Philippines | Court of Appeals; Sandiganbayan (special court for corruption cases of government officials); Court of Tax Appeals; regional, metropolitan, and municipal trial courts; sharia courts |
| Pitcairn Islands | Magistrate's Court |
| Poland | Constitutional Tribunal; regional and appellate courts subdivided into military, civil, criminal, labor, and family courts |
| Portugal | Supreme Administrative Court (Supremo Tribunal Administrativo); Audit Court (Auditoria do Tribunal); appellate, district, and municipal courts |
| Puerto Rico | Court of Appeals; First Instance Court comprised of superior and municipal courts |
| Qatar | Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; Sharia Courts; Courts of Justice |
| Republic of Macedonia | Courts of Appeal; Basic Courts |
| Romania | Courts of Appeal; regional tribunals; first instance courts; military and arbitration courts |
| Russia | Higher Arbitration Court; regional (kray) and provincial (oblast) courts; Moscow and St. Petersburg city courts; autonomous province and district courts |
| Rwanda | High Court of the Republic; commercial courts including the High Commercial Court; intermediate courts; primary courts; Gacaca and military specialized courts |
| Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | Magistrate's Court; Small Claims Court; Juvenile Court |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | magistrates' courts |
| Saint Lucia | magistrate's court |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | magistrates' courts |
| Samoa | District Court; Magistrates' Courts; Land and Titles Courts; village fono or village chief councils |
| San Marino | first instance and first appeal criminal, administrative, and civil courts; justices of the peace or conciliatory judges |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Court of First Instance; Audit Court |
| Saudi Arabia | Court of Appeals; first-degree courts composed of general, criminal, personal status, and commercial courts, and the Labor Court; hierarchy of administrative courts |
| Senegal | Court of Appeals; regional and first instance courts |
| Serbia | appellate courts, higher courts, and municipal and district courts; courts of special jurisdiction include the Administrative Court, Appellate Commercial Court, and two levels of misdemeanor courts |
| Seychelles | Magistrates' Courts of Seychelles; Family Tribunal for issues such as domestic violence, and child custody and maintenance |
| Sierra Leone | magistrates' courts; District Appeals Court; local courts |
| Singapore | district, magistrates', juvenile, family, community, and coroners' courts; small claims tribunals |
| Slovakia | regional and district civil courts; Higher Military Court; military district courts; Court of Audit |
| Slovenia | county, district, regional, and high courts; specialized labor-related and social courts; Court of Audit; Administrative Court |
| Solomon Islands | Magistrates' Courts; local courts; Customary Land Appeal Court |
| Somalia | Transitional Appeal Court; regional and district courts; sharia (Islamic courts) |
| South Africa | High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; labor courts; land claims courts; |
| South Korea | High Courts; District Courts; Branch Courts (organized undeer the Branch Courts); specialized courts for family and administrative issues |
| South Sudan | national level: Courts of Appeal; High Courts; County Courts; state level: High Courts; County Courts; customary courts; other specialized courts and tribunals |
| Spain | National Court; High Courts of Justice (in each of the autonomous communities); provincial courts; courts of first instance |
| Sri Lanka | Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate's Courts; municipal and primary courts |
| Sudan | National Court of Appeals; other national courts (not specified in the 2005 Interim National Constitution as to national or local authority); township and rural (peoples') courts |
| Suriname | cantonal courts |
| Swaziland | magistrates' courts; National Swazi Courts for administering customary/traditional law (jurisdiction restricted to customary law for Swazi citizens) |
| Sweden | first instance and appellate general and administrative courts; specialized courts that handle cases such as land and environment, immigration, labor, markets, and patents |
| Switzerland | Federal Criminal Court (began in 2004); Federal Administrative Court (began in 2007) |
| Syria | courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court |
| Taiwan | high courts; district courts; hierarchy of administrative courts |
| Tajikistan | regional and district courts; Dushanbe City Court; viloyat (province level) courts; Court of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region |
| Tanzania | Resident Magistrates Courts; Kadhi courts (for Islamic family matters); district and primary courts |
| Thailand | courts of first instance and appeals courts within both the judicial and administrative systems; military courts |
| The Bahamas | Supreme Court; Industrial Tribunal; Stipendiary and Magistrates Courts; Family Island Administrators |
| The Gambia | Court of Appeal; High Court; Special Criminal Court; Khadis or Muslim courts; district tribunals; magistrates courts |
| Togo | Court of Assizes (sessions court); appeals courts; tribunals of first instance (divided into civil, commercial, and correctional chambers; Court of State Security; military tribunal |
| Tokelau | High Court, in New Zealand; Council of Elders or Taupulega |
| Tonga | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Courts; Land Courts |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Courts of Summary Criminal Jurisdiction; Petty Civil Courts; Family Court |
| Tunisia | Administrative Court; Courts of Appeal; Housing Court; courts of first instance; lower district courts; military courts |
| Turkey | Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court |
| Turkmenistan | provincial, district, and city courts; High Commercial Court; military courts |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | magistrates' courts |
| Tuvalu | magistrates' courts; island courts; lands courts |
| Uganda | Court of Appeal (also sits as the Constitutional Court); High Court (includes 10 High Court Circuits and 7 High Court Divisions); Chief Magistrate Grade One and Grade Two Courts |
| Ukraine | specialized high courts; Courts of Cassation; Courts of Appeal; regional, district, city, and town courts |
| United Arab Emirates | Federal Court of Cassation (determines the constitutionality of laws promulgated at the federal and local (emirate) levels; federal level courts of first instance and appeals courts; each emirate has its own court system |
| United Kingdom | England and Wales - Court of Appeal (civil and criminal divisions); High Court; Crown Court; County Courts; Magistrates' Courts; Scotland - Court of Sessions; Sherrif Courts; High Court of Justiciary; tribunals; Northern Ireland - Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland; High Court; county courts; magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals |
| United States | Courts of Appeal (includes the US Court of Appeal for the Federal District and 12 regional appeals courts); 94 federal district courts in 50 states and territories |
| Uruguay | Courts of Appeal; District Courts (Juzagados Letrados); Peace Courts (Juzagados de Paz); Rural Courts (Juzgados Rurales) |
| Uzbekistan | regional, district, city, and town courts |
| Vanuatu | magistrates' courts; island courts |
| Venezuela | Superior or Appeals Courts (Tribunales Superiores); District Tribunals (Tribunales de Distrito); Courts of First Instance (Tribunales de Primera Instancia); Parish Courts (Tribunales de Parroquia); Justices of the Peace (Justicia de Paz) Network |
| Vietnam | Court of Appeals; administrative, civil, criminal, economic, and labor courts; Central Military Court; People's Special Courts |
| Virgin Islands | Superior Court (renamed in 2004 vice the Territorial Court); US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (has appellate jurisdiction over the District Court of the Virgin Islands; it is a territorial court and is not associated with a US federal judicial district); District Court of the Virgin Islands |
| Wallis and Futuna | note: justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu |
| Yemen | appeal courts; district or first instance courts; commercial courts |
| Zambia | High Court; magistrate's courts and local courts |
| Zimbabwe | High Court, regional magistrate courts, and special courts |