The Slovak Republic is a sovereign democratic state governed by the rule of law. After coming into existence on 1st January 1993 the country rapidly gained diplomatic regognition by the world´s leading nations.
The State system of the Slovak Republic is a parliamentary democracy with a 150-member unicameral parliament (National Council of the Slovak Republic). The head of State is the President elected by the Slovak citizens, and the supreme executive body is the Government of the Slovak Republic.
Under Chapter VII of the Constitution, judicial power in the Slovak Republic is exercised by the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic and other courts. An independent body to oversee compliance with the Constitution is the Constituonal Court of the Slovak Republic.
The courts rule on criminal and civil matters and review the legality of decisions made by administrative bodies. Judges sit on panels unless the law prescribes that the matter is to be decided by a single judge. The law specifies the cases in which the panels include lay judges as well as professional judges. The judgments are announced in the name of the Slovak Republic and are always announced in public.
Judges are independent in their decision-making and are bound only by law. If so provided by the Constitution or the law, judges are also bound by international instruments.
The system of courts in the SR consists of genereal court and administrative courts.
The general courts´ system consists of the Supreme Court of the SR, which has its seat in Bratislava; Specialized Criminal Court, regional and district courts.
The administrative courts´ system consists of the Supreme Administrative Court of the SR, which has its seat in Bratislava and administrative courts.
Under the law, the Supreme Court of the SR is the highest judicial authority of the Slovak Republic. It exercises its jurisdiction through its panels and their presiding judges; through divisions and their presiding judges; and through the President and Vice-President of the Supreme Court of the SR.
The distribution of cases at the Supreme Court in a given calendar year is determined by the work schedule formulated by the President of the Supreme Court upon a proposal presented by the presiding judges of the various divisions.
The Supreme Court sits on three-member panels composed of the presiding judge and two judges, and on five-member panels composed of the presiding judge and four judges. The head of the panel is the presiding judge.
Three-member panels:
rule on ordinary and exceptional legal remedies which cnallege decisions made by district courts, regional courts, Specialzed Criminal Court as set out in the law;
on the removal and transfer of the case to a court other than the competent court, where the rules of procedure before the courts so provide;
other cases set by law or an international treaty.
Five-member panels
rule on ordinary or exceptional legal remedies wich challenge decisions of the Supreme Court;
Based on the knowlegde derived from their decision-making, the plenary session of the Supreme Court:
adopts the Rules of Procedure of the Supreme Court and the Rules of Procedure for the election and dismissal of the Presidents of the Colleges, and elects and dismisses the members of the Judicial Council of the Supreme Court;
adopts opinions to unification of interpretation of laws and other binding legal regulations;
prepare inputs for the report of the Supreme Court concerning the effects of laws and other generally binding regulations, and for the proposals of new legislation.
discusses reports on legal aplication of law and other binding legal regulations and based on that knowledge gives suggestions for new legislation to the minister of justice.