Finland
Courts in Finland
Two branches, two supreme courts — the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court — with no constitutional court and courts administered by an arm's-length body since 2020.
Facts on this page were checked against their sources on .
Finland has two branches of courts (Constitution, Section 98). The general courts hear civil, commercial and criminal cases: district courts (käräjäoikeus), courts of appeal (hovioikeus), and at the apex the Supreme Court (korkein oikeus). The administrative courts hear disputes with public authorities: the regional administrative courts (hallinto-oikeus) and, at the apex, the Supreme Administrative Court (korkein hallinto-oikeus). Section 99 makes each supreme court final within its branch.
The same idea, explained generally
- What do courts do?
Courts resolve disputes, test the state’s case against individuals, interpret law, and review public decisions. This guide explains those functions and why judicial independence is structural.
- What is due process?
Due process is the requirement that the state follow fair, established procedures before it takes action against a person. This guide explains what it typically includes and how it differs between systems.
Sources
Sources
The Constitution of Finland (731/1999) — Ministry of Justice English translation
Ministry of Justice, Finland (via FAOLEX; original at finlex.fi) · Legislation · 1999 · link verified 2026-07-26
The Ministry of Justice official English translation of the 1999 Constitution, fetched as a PDF and text-extracted (confirmed by me and in the verification pass). Supports: Section 1 ("Finland is a sovereign republic"; "Finland is a Member State of the European Union"); Section 3 ("the judicial powers are exercised by independent courts of law, with the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court as the highest instances"); Section 17 ("the national languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish"); Section 98 (the general courts and the general administrative courts); Section 99 (the Supreme Court is final in civil, commercial and criminal matters; the Supreme Administrative Court is final in administrative matters); Section 104 (the Prosecutor-General, appointed by the President of the Republic); Section 106 (a court gives primacy to the Constitution where an Act's application would be in "evident conflict" with it — diffuse review, no constitutional court); and Sections 108–109 (the Chancellor of Justice and the Parliamentary Ombudsman). The authoritative texts are Finnish and Swedish.
Finnish courts and the National Courts Administration
Tuomioistuinlaitos / Finnish Courts (tuomioistuimet.fi) · Government publication · link verified 2026-07-26
The Finnish courts' own English portal, read directly. Supports the two-branch court structure (general courts — district courts, courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court; administrative courts — administrative courts and the Supreme Administrative Court) and that "the courts are independent … bound only by the law in force. No outside party can intervene in the decision-making of the courts". Also supports that the National Courts Administration (Tuomioistuinvirasto) "began its operations on 1 January 2020" within the administrative branch of the Ministry of Justice.