Sudanese Judiciary (Historical structural profile — does not necessarily reflect the current situation under war conditions)
The Judiciary is the independent judicial institution in Sudan, representing, alongside the Constitutional Court, the highest judicial authority in the country, headquartered in Khartoum. The roots of Sudanese judicial organization extend to periods before independence (Sennar Sultanate, Ottoman era, Mahdist era, then the Condominium era), and its modern structures developed with the national state after 1956.
The Judiciary consists of: the Supreme Court at the top, followed by Courts of Appeal, then General Courts and Town and Rural Courts and Summary Courts at their levels. The Supreme Court operates through judicial circuits of three judges for each circuit, and includes four circuits outside the capital. Its decisions are taken by majority, and its decisions are not subject to review except if the Chief Justice deems that a violation of Sharia has occurred, in which case he convenes an expanded circuit of five judges from the Supreme Court, the majority of whom did not participate in the contested decision.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 resulted in institutional judicial reforms: it stipulated the establishment of the Constitutional Court, the National Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal, and the Constitutional Court Act was approved on October 1, 2005, and the National Judicial Service Commission was established on December 7, 2005 to undertake the general administration of the national judiciary, headed by the Chief Justice. Successive constitutions stipulate that the national judiciary is independent of the legislative and executive authorities, with the necessary financial and administrative independence.
(Sources: English Wikipedia — Sudanese Supreme Court; CIA World Factbook; Peace Accords Matrix — University of Notre Dame; academic study "The Sudan judiciary"; United Nations UN-ESCWA study on Sudanese women judges)
— Editorial Team