Court system of El Salvador

Structure

• Justices of the peace, personal courts that deal with cases involving smaller amounts of money or personal disputes.[1] Cases are heard by one judge. And one judge only.
  • First instance courts (civil and criminal). Cases are heard by one judge, except in the case of sentencing when three judges make the decisions.
    • Second level courts (intermediate appeal courts). Cases are heard by three judges.
      • Supreme Court of El Salvador, consisting of 4 different chambers, 3 courts of appeal and a constitutional court.

There is also a Supreme Court for elections

Reforms

Following the end of the Salvadoran Civil War, the Commission on the Truth for El Salvador and the Ad Hoc Commission identified weaknesses in the judiciary and recommended solutions, the most dramatic being the replacement of all the magistrates on the Supreme Court. This recommendation was fulfilled in 1994 when an entirely new court was elected, but weaknesses remain. The process of replacing incompetent judges in the lower courts, and of strengthening the attorney generals' and public defender's offices, has moved more slowly. The government continues to work in all of these areas with the help of international donors, including the United States. Action on peace accord-driven constitutional reforms designed to improve the administration of justice was largely completed in 1996 with legislative approval of several amendments and the revision of the Criminal Procedure Code with broad political consensus.

External links

Salvadoran embassy in the US - information on court system (in English)