Constitutional court#List

{{Further|Judicial review|Constitutional review}}

Prior to 1919, the United States, Canada and Australia had adopted the concept of judicial review by their courts, following shared principles of their similar common law legal systems, which they, in turn, had inherited from British colonial law.Dudley Odell McGovney, "The British Origin of Judicial Review of Legislation", University of Pennsylvania Law Review vol. 93, no. 1, 1–49. The Parthenopean Republic's constitution of 1799, written by Mario Pagano, envisaged an organ of magistrates reviewing constitutional law, the eforato, but lasted only 6 months.Mauro Lenci, The battle over "democracy". In {{cite book|first1=Joris|last1=Oddens|first2=Mart|last2=Rutjes|first3=Erik|last3=Jacobs|title=The political culture of the sister republics, 1794-1806: France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Italy|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|date=2015-05-01|isbn=9789048522415}} The 1776 Constitution of Pennsylvania and 1777 Constitution of Vermont both establish a "Council of Censors" separate from the other branches of government, with the task of "recommending to the legislature the repealing of such laws as appear to them to have been enacted contrary to the principles of the constitution,"{{cite web|url=https://sos.vermont.gov/vsara/learn/constitution/1777-constitution/|title=Vermont Constitution - 1777: Section XLIV|publisher=Vermont State Archives & Records Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531055013/https://sos.vermont.gov/vsara/learn/constitution/1777-constitution/|archive-date=31 May 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite web | url=https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/documents/1776-1865/pennsylvania-constitution-1776.html | title=Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 | PHMC > Our Documentary Heritage }} an institution somewhat similar to a modern constitutional court.

In 1919 the First Austrian Republic established the first dedicated constitutional court, the Constitutional Court of Austria, which however existed in name only until 10 October 1920, when the country's new constitution came into effect, upon which the court gained the power to review the laws of Austria's federal states.{{Cite web|url=http://www.vfgh.gv.at/cms/vfgh-site/vfgh/geschichte.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826165057/http://www.vfgh.gv.at/cms/vfgh-site/vfgh/geschichte.html|url-status=dead|title=vfgh - Über den Verfassungsgerichtshof - Geschichte|archivedate=August 26, 2012|website=www.vfgh.gv.at}} The 1920 Constitution of Czechoslovakia, which came into effect on 2 February 1920, was the first to provide for a dedicated court for judicial review of parliamentary laws, but the court did not convene until November 1921. The organization and competences of both courts were influenced by constitutional theories of Hans Kelsen.Romeu F.R., The Establishment of Constitutional Courts: A Study of 128 Democratic Constitutions, „Review of Law & Economics”, 2 (1), Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2006, p. 104. Subsequently, this idea of having a separate special constitutional court that only heard cases concerning the constitutionality of the national legislature's acts became known as the Austrian System, and it was subsequently adopted by many other countries e.g. Liechtenstein (1925), Greece (1927), Spain (1931), Germany (1949) etc.

{{See also|List of supreme courts by country}}

Following list consists countries with separate constitutional courts. Some other countries do not have separate constitutional courts, but instead delegate constitutional judicial authority to their ordinary court system, with the final decision-making power resting in the supreme ordinary court. Nonetheless, such courts are sometimes also called "constitutional courts".{{efn|For example, the Supreme Court of the United States has been called the world's oldest constitutional court{{cite news |last1=Liptak |first1=Adam |title=U.S. Court Is Now Guiding Fewer Nations |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/us/18legal.html |access-date=June 7, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=September 17, 2008}} because it was one of the earliest courts in the world to invalidate a law as unconstitutional (Marbury v. Madison), even though it is not solely a constitutional court}}

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• Albania
• Angola{{Cite web |title=Tribunal Constitucional |url=https://tribunalconstitucional.ao/ |access-date=2023-02-27 |language=pt-AO |archive-date=2023-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305173616/https://tribunalconstitucional.ao/ |url-status=dead }}
• Armenia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Benin
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Myanmar
• Chad
• Chile
• Colombia
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• Gabon
• Georgia
• Germany
• Guatemala
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Republic of Korea (South Korea)
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Republic of North Macedonia
• Malta
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Niger
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Suriname
• Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Tajikistan{{Cite web |url=https://www.constcourt.tj/|title=Суди конститутсионии Тоҷикистон|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604111140/https://constcourt.tj/|archive-date=4 June 2024|url-status=dead}}
• Thailand
• Turkey
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

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{{Incomplete list|date=October 2023}}

Source:{{Cite web |title=Bundesverfassungsgericht - International perspectives - Links to other courts |url=https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/EN/Das-Gericht/Internationale-Perspektiven/internationale-perspektiven-linkliste.html |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de}}

{{Interlanguage link|Verfassungsgerichtshof für das Land Baden-Württemberg|lt=Constitutional Court of Baden-Württemberg|de}} (German: Verfassungsgerichthof für das Land Baden-Württemberg; abbreviated: VerfGH BW) is the constiutional court for the German Land (state) of Baden-Württemberg and thereby a constitutional organ on the state level. Besides its power of judicial review ({{Interlanguage link|Normenkontrolle|lt=Normenkontrolle|de}}), it has a number of other powers and responsibilities which are assign to it by the {{Interlanguage link|Verfassung des Landes Baden-Württemberg|lt=state constitution|de}}.{{Cite web |title=Zuständigkeiten |url=https://verfgh.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/status-und-aufgaben/zustaendigkeiten |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Baden-Württemberg.de |language=de}}

{{Interlanguage link|Bayerischer Verfassungsgerichtshof|lt=Bavarian Constitutional Court|de}} (German: Bayrischer Verfassungsgerichthof; abbreviated: VerfGH BY) is the state constitutional court for the Free State of Bavaria. It is, along with the Landesregierung (state government) and the Landtag (state parliament), one of the three state constitutional institutions and has the power of judicial review: It may examine the compatibility of state laws with the state constitution.{{Cite web |title=Bayerischer Verfassungsgerichtshof - Bayerisches Staatsministerium der Justiz |url=https://www.bayern.verfassungsgerichtshof.de/bayverfgh/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.bayern.verfassungsgerichtshof.de}}

Constitutional Court of Berlin (German: Verfassungsgerichthof des Landes Berlin; abbreviated: VerfGH BE) is the constitutional court of the city-state of Berlin which is simultaneously the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located in the same building as the Kammergericht ({{lang|de|Oberlandesgericht}}) and is authorized by Article 84 {{Interlanguage link|Verfassung von Berlin|lt=Constitution of the city-state of Berlin|de}}. It has the power of judicial review, the power to review electoral complaints and the power to hear cases concerning complaints against referendums and popular initiatives among others.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-01 |title=Verfassungsgerichtshof des Landes Berlin |url=https://www.berlin.de/gerichte/sonstige-gerichte/verfassungsgerichtshof/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.berlin.de |language=de}}

{{Interlanguage link|Verfassungsgericht des Landes Brandenburg|lt=Constitutional Court of Brandenburg|de}} (German: Verfassungsgerichthof des Landes Brandenburg; abbreviated: VerfG BB){{Cite web |title=Start {{!}} Verfassungsgericht des Landes Brandenburg |url=https://verfassungsgericht.brandenburg.de/verfgbbg/de/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=verfassungsgericht.brandenburg.de}}

{{Interlanguage link|Staatsgerichtshof der Freien Hansestadt Bremen|lt=State Constitutional Court of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen|de}} (German: Staatsgerichtshof der Freien Hansestadt Bremen; abbreviated: StGH HB){{Cite web |title=Startseite - Staatsgerichtshof der Freien Hansestadt Bremen |url=https://www.staatsgerichtshof.bremen.de/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.staatsgerichtshof.bremen.de}}

{{Interlanguage link|Hamburgisches Verfassungsgericht|lt=Constitutional Court of Hamburg|de}} (German: Hamburgisches Verfassungsgericht; abbreviated: VerfG HH){{Cite web |title=Hamburgisches Verfassungsgericht |url=https://www.hamburgisches-verfassungsgericht.de/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.hamburgisches-verfassungsgericht.de}}

State Constitutional Court of Hesse (StGH HE)

Land Constitutional Court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (VerfG MV)

State Constitutional Court of Lower Saxony (StGH NDS)

Constitutional Court of North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Verfassungsgericht für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen; abbreviated: VerfGH NRW or VGH NRW)

Constitutional Court of Rhineland-Palatinate (VerfGH RP)

Constitutional Court of Saarland (VerfGH SL)

Constitutional Court of the Free State of Saxony (VerfGH SN)

Land Constitutional Court of Saxony-Anhalt (VerfG ST)

Land Constitutional Court of Schleswig-Holstein (VerfG SH)

Thuringian Constitutional Court (VerfGH TH)

Before 2020, several republics of Russia had their own constitutional courts, while in other federal subjects like oblasts and federal cities they were known as charter courts, as republics are the only federal subjects to have their own constitutions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dp.ru/a/2018/04/24/Uslovnij_sud|title=Зачем Петербургу нужен Уставный суд, рассматривающий два дела в год|author=Viktor Ovsyukov|website=Busy Petersburg|date=25 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512084926/https://www.dp.ru/a/2018/04/24/Uslovnij_sud|archive-date=2021-05-12|access-date=2020-03-12|lang=ru}} Constitutional and charter courts were completely independent and were not subordinate courts to the Constitutional Court of Russia.

Constitutional and charter courts used to hear cases relating to conformity with regional constitutions or charters of laws adopted by regional legislatures and governors' decrees, and in this category of cases constitutional and charter courts were courts of single instance.

Constitutional and charter courts of the federal subjects were disestablished by the 2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia.{{Cite web |url=https://rg.ru/2020/12/08/putin-podpisal-zakon-ob-uvolnenii-sudej-za-otkaz-ot-grazhdanstva-rf.html |title=Путин подписал закон об увольнении судей за отказ от гражданства РФ |date=8 December 2020 |access-date=2020-12-09 |archive-date=2020-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208095646/https://rg.ru/2020/12/08/putin-podpisal-zakon-ob-uvolnenii-sudej-za-otkaz-ot-grazhdanstva-rf.html |lang=ru}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.interfax.ru/russia/754691 |title=Уставный суд Петербурга ликвидируют 1 июля |date=5 March 2021 |access-date=2021-09-09 |archive-date=2021-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909122852/https://www.interfax.ru/russia/754691 |lang=ru }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5437078 |title=Уставный суд Свердловской области прекратил работу |date=July 2022 |access-date=2022-07-26 |archive-date=2022-07-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726142436/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5437078 |lang=ru }}{{cite web|author=Kirill Antonov|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5130518|title=И суда нет. Парламент Татарстана готовится к ликвидации Конституционного суда|publisher=Kommersant|date=2021-12-15|access-date=2021-12-16|archive-date=2021-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217160203/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5130518|language=ru}}

As of 2020, constitutional courts remained in force in the 12 (out of 22) following republics:

• Adygea (known as the Constitutional Chamber of Adygea until 2000){{Cite web|url=https://www.lawmix.ru/comm/5412|title=Становление органов конституционного правосудия в республиках северного кавказа - Сейчас.ру|website=www.lawmix.ru}}
• Bashkortostan
• Chechnya
• Dagestan
• Ingushetia[http://ks-ri.ru/?p=1178 Constitutional Law of the Republic of Ingushetia from 28 December 2001 No. 10-RKZ "On the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Ingushetia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019164220/http://ks-ri.ru/?p=1178 |date=19 October 2018 }} - Constitutional Court of the Republic of Ingushetia. Official website
• Kabardino-Balkaria
• Karelia[http://ksrk.karelia.ru/?page_id=133 Law of the Republic of Karelia from 7 July 2004 No. 790-ZRK "On the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Carelia"]
• Komi
• Mari El
• North Ossetia–Alania
• Sakha[http://www.sakha.gov.ru/main.asp?c=5409 Constitutional Law of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) from 15 June 2002 No. 16-z N 363-II "On the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)"]
• Tatarstan (see Constitutional Court of Tatarstan)

In the republics of Buryatia and Tuva, the constitutional courts were abolished by the republican constitutional laws in 2018 and 2019, respectively.{{Cite web |url=https://www.baikal-daily.ru/news/19/125514/ |title=КС РФ разрешил окончательно упразднить Конституционный суд Бурятии |date=24 March 2015 |access-date=2017-03-03 |archive-date=2017-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303204057/https://www.baikal-daily.ru/news/19/125514/ |lang=ru}} In the republics of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, and Sakha, the disestablished constitutional courts were transformed into constitutional councils, without any judicial powers.{{cite web|author=Kirill Antonov|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5621454|title=Суд удаляется из совещания. Госсовет Татарстана внес законопроект об упразднении конституционного суда республики|publisher=Kommersant|date=2022-10-20|access-date=2022-10-20|archive-date=2022-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020124517/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5621454|language=ru}}{{cite web|url=https://www.idelreal.org/a/32093107.html|title=Госсовет Татарстана проголосовал за ликвидацию Конституционного суда республики|publisher=Idel.Realities|date=2022-10-20|access-date=2022-10-20|archive-date=2022-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020142207/https://www.idelreal.org/a/32093107.html|language=ru}}{{cite web|url=http://www.business-gazeta.ru/news/568184|title=Госсовет РТ ликвидировал Конституционный суд республики — вместо него будет совет|publisher=Business Online|date=2022-10-20|access-date=2022-10-20|archive-date=2022-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020142205/http://www.business-gazeta.ru/news/568184|language=ru}}

Until 2020, charter courts existed in following federal subjects:

• Kaliningrad Oblast
• Saint Petersburg
• Sverdlovsk Oblast

The charter court of Chelyabinsk Oblast was disestablished in 2014.

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• Constitution
• Constitutional Council (disambiguation)
• Constitutional institution
• Constitutional law
• Constitutional review
• Constitutionalism
• Judiciary
• Judicial review
• Jurisprudence
• Parliamentary sovereignty
• Rule of law
• Rule According to Higher Law
• Venice Commission
• Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions

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{{World topic|Constitutional Court of|title=Constitutional Courts of World|noredlinks=yes|template=yes}}

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Category:Courts by type