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Judiciary of Brunant
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Judiciary
Supreme Court
Constitutional Court
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The Supreme Court (Dutch: Hooggerechtshof) is the highest court in Brunant. It has nationwide jurisdiction over all of Brunant's territory, including all judicial areas and districts. Its current president is Filipo Mestre. It is based in the Palace of the Supreme Court in the center of Koningstad.

History[]

Palace of the Supreme Court

Palace of the Supreme Court

Under King Leuvis II, Royal Courts were set up to administer the law, but these were mainly used to charge people who had not paid taxes or were rebelling against the government.

It was only until the Constitution of 1802 that it prescribed for "a supreme national court free from royal and political interference with the task of measuring and enforcing the law". The author of the articles in the Constitution about the Supreme Court was Andreas Janszoon, who also served as second President of the Supreme Court from 1809-1820. Legal historians consider Janszoon to be the most important 19th-century chief justice of Brunant since he shaped the highest court throughout his presidency. The Constitution was not always clear on its functioning and its tasks related to legislation adopted by the Congress. With several noted arrests in the 1810s, he gave more meaning to the role of chief justice and indirectly enlarged the Supreme Court's powers.

The first court was set up within the Green Room in the Koningsberg Palace, a building in Koningstad Centrum where both houses of the Congress met. Construction on the nearby Palace of the Supreme Court was completed in 1813.

President[]

Role[]

The President of the Supreme Court is the judge that presides over the court. He is appointed by the monarch, in consultation with the government and may serve in that role until they turn 75. There are no set requirements for judicial candidates, but they must be "knowledgeable in the laws of the nation" (article 9.c) and "compl[y] with what is prescribed in the Constitution" (article 9.d.ii).

List of presidents[]

  1. James Golding (1802-1809)
  2. Andreas Janszoon (1809-1820)
  3. Michael Reading (1820-1825)
  4. Hans Fechienstad (1825-1832)
  5. Adriaan Westermann (1832-1841)
  6. Johannes von Krupski (1841-1854)
  7. Bert van Grunbeck (1854-1865)
  8. Anthony Groesner (1865-1876)
  9. Joseph Greene (1876-1882)
  10. Louis Lemay (1882-1900)
  11. Alexander Hofmann (1900-1907)
  12. Bert Halsand (1907-1914)
  13. Joseph Hertz (1914-1918)
  14. Pieter Lemay (1918-1931)
  15. Michael Philips (1931-1937)
  16. Johannes Neyt (1937-1941, 1945-1948)
  17. Christine Sneijder (1948-1958)
  18. Andrew Kirkley (1958-1961)
  19. Andrew Morris (1961-1976)
  20. Alexandra Cunningham (1976-1984)
  21. Therese Fransen (1984-1997)
  22. Hilda Brunnemeyer (1997-2001)
  23. Albert Wilson (2001-2006)
  24. Sophie Velmond (2006-2010)
  25. Filipo Mestre (2010-present)
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