Judiciary of Italy

The judiciary of Italy is composed of courts responsible for interpreting and applying the law in the Italian Republic. Magistracy is a public office, accessible only to Italian citizens who hold an Italian Juris Doctor and have successfully participated in the relevant competitive public examination organised by the Ministry of justice. The judicial power is independent and there is no internal hierarchy within. Italian magistrates are either judges or public prosecutors.

Notably, the Italian judiciary operates independently from the executive branch, the latter being prohibited to interfere with the appointment, career advancement and the prerogatives of magistrates. Once an individual joins the magistracy, they are eligible to serve until they reach the mandatory retirement age. Any disciplinary actions against a magistrate can only be imposed by the self-governing body of the magistracy to which they belong.

The structure of the Italian judiciary is divided into the ordinary judicial circuit and the special judicial circuit. The ordinary judicial circuit handles civil and criminal matters. In this circuit, inferior courts have original and general jurisdiction over civil and criminal disputes, while appellate courts review cases on appeal from these lower courts, focusing primarily on the application of legal principles.

The specialised judicial circuit comprises courts with jurisdiction over administrative, tax and audit matters.