JUDICIARY

Introduction
• The judicial power is vested in the Supreme
Court of the Philippines and lower courts
established by law. The Supreme Court, which
has a Chief Justice as its head and 14
Associate Justices, occupies the highest tier of
the judiciary. The justices serve until the age
of 70. The justices are appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the
Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines.
The sitting Chief Justice is Maria Lourdes
Sereno, the 24th to serve in that position.
• Judicial power rests with the Supreme Court
and the lower courts, as established by law
(Art. VIII, sec. 1 of the 1987 Constitution). Its
duty is to settle actual controversies involving
rights which are legally demandable and
enforceable (Art. VIII Sec. 1 (2)).
• The judiciary enjoys fiscal autonomy. Its
appropriation may not be reduced by the
Legislature below the appropriated amount
the previous year (Art. VIII, Sec. 3).
Other court types of courts, of varying jurisdiction around the archipelago,
are the:

l Lower Collegiate Courts

l Court of Appeals
l Court of Tax Appeal
l Sandiganbayan
l Regular Courts
l Court of Appeals
l RegionalMunicipal Circuit Trial Courts
l Muslim Court
l Sharia District Courts
l Sharia Circuit Courts
 RULES AND PROCEDURES
• The Rules of Court of the Philippines, as amended and the rules and
regulations issued by the Supreme Court, define the rules and
procedures of the judiciary. These rules and regulations are in the form
of administrative matters, administrative orders, circulars, memorandum
circulars, memorandum orders, and OCA circulars. The Supreme Court
disseminates these rules and regulations to all courts, publishes
important ones in newspapers of general circulation, prints them in book
or pamphlet form, and uploads them to the Supreme Court website and
the Supreme Court E-Library website.
• On June 21, 1988, the Supreme Court promulgated the Code of
Professional Responsibility for the legal profession. The draft was
prepared by the Committee on Responsibility, Discipline and Disbarment
of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
APPOINTMENTS TO THE JUDICIARY
• By virtue of Article VIII, Section 8, appointments to
the judiciary are made by the President of the
Philippines based on a list submitted by the Judicial
and Bar Council which is under the supervision of the
Supreme Court. Its principal function is to screen
prospective appointees to any judicial post. It is
composed of the chief justice as ex-officio chairman,
the Secretary of Justice and representatives of
Congress as ex-officio members, and a representative
of the Integrated Bar, a professor of law, a retired
member of the Supreme Court and a representative
of the private sector as members.