The Supreme Judicial Council is the highest judicial authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudi Law of the Judiciary, the council is responsible for issuing regulations related to the functional affairs of judges after obtaining the King's approval and the appointment, promotion, discipline, delegation, lending, training, transfer, leave, and termination of services of judges, among others. Additionally, the council's responsibilities include establishing, merging, or abolishing courts and issuing judicial inspection regulations.
Establishment of the Saudi Supreme Judicial Council
The Supreme Judicial Council was established in 1975, and it was formed with two bodies, one permanent and the other general.
The first to hold the position of the president of the Supreme Judicial Council in the Kingdom was Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al al-Sheikh during the reign of King Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Mandates of the Saudi Supreme Judicial Council
The role of the council is reflected in several competencies, the most prominent of which are: appointing the chief judges of appeal and first-instance courts and their assistants, issuing rules that regulate the competencies and powers of the chief judges of courts and their assistants, in addition to organizing the work of judicial clerks.
The Supreme Judicial Council is responsible for supervising the courts, judges, and their work, including the Supreme Court.
The Law of the Judiciary in the Kingdom
According to the Law of the Judiciary, there is one Supreme Court at the apex of the judicial organization in the Kingdom, located in Riyadh. Its primary jurisdiction is limited to reviewing cases of boundaries, monitoring the verdicts issued by appeal courts, and deciding on requests for reconsideration of judgments issued by them.
The Supreme Judicial Council conducts its duties from its main headquarters in the capital, Riyadh. According to the provisions of the Saudi Law of the Judiciary, judges are independent, with no authority over them in their judiciary other than the provisions of Islamic Sharia and applicable laws, and no one has the right to interfere in judicial matters.
The president and members of the Supreme Judicial Council are appointed by a Royal Decree. The council has its own budget, issued in accordance with the rules followed for the issuance of the state's general budget. The council has a general secretariat and selects its secretary-general from among the judges.
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