Constitutional Court (Portugal)

Constitutional Court
Tribunal Constitucional
Established 1982
Country Portugal
Location Lisbon
Composition method 10 judges elected by the Assembly of the Republic, 3 judges elected by co-option
Authorized by Portuguese Constitution
Judge term length 9 years, with no possible reelection
Number of positions 13 judges
Website www.tribunalconstitucional.pt
President
Currently Manuel da Costa Andrade
Since 22 July 2016
Coat of arms of Portugal
This article is part of a series on the
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The Constitutional Court (Portuguese: Tribunal Constitucional, pronounced: [tɾibuˈnaɫ kõʃtitusiuˈnaɫ]) is a special court, defined by the Portuguese Constitution as part of the judicial branch of the Portuguese political organization. Unlike the rest of the country's courts, the Constitutional Court has important characteristics, such as a special composition, and unique competences. The main task of the court is to review the constitutionality of the newly approved laws, but it also has important powers related to the President of the Republic, the political parties and referenda.

The Portuguese Constitution defines the Constitutional Court as a completely independent organ, that operates independently from the other branches of government, such as the Executive or the Legislative. The judges of the Constitutional Court are independent and cannot be impeached. The decisions of the court are above the decisions of any other authority.

The court works in Lisbon, in the Ratton Palace located in Bairro Alto.

Organization

The court is composed by thirteen judges, ten of them are elected by the Assembly of the Republic, the main legislative branch of the country, and they must be elected by two thirds majority of the members of the Assembly. The remaining three are elected by the already elected judges. Of the thirteen judges, six must be chosen among the general court's judges, the remaining must have at least a degree in law. The judges serve a nine years mandate and cannot be re-elected.

The Constitutional Court elects its own president and vice-president and approves its own rules, schedule and budget.

The President of the Constitutional Court is the third person in the Portuguese state hierarchy and has several competences, such as conducting the relations between the court and the other authorities, receiving the candidatures for President of the Republic and presiding the court's sessions. The current president (as of 2016) is Manuel da Costa Andrade.


Competences

The Constitutional Court has several competences, defined in the Constitution, such as:

See also

References

    External links

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