The judicial power of the Confederation is vested in a Supreme Court or Federal Tri banal consisting of fourteen judges and a number of supernumeraries elected for a term of six years by the Federal .Assembly, which also desig nates a president and a vice-president of the court for t WO years. The court is divided into three sections, each of which holds a session in one of the five judicial districts into which Switzerland is divided. The spat of the court is at Lausanne, in the Canton of Vaud. The juris diction of the Federal Court in the domain of public law extends to conflicts of authority be tween the Confederation and the cantons, to dis putes between cantons of a public-law nature. and to complaints of the violation of individual constitutional rights. In civil matters of private law its jurisdiction extends to suits between the Confederation and the cantons or between the cantons themselves, or suits against the Con federation or between the cantons and private individuals or corporations. The Federal Tri bunal is also a court of appeal from the de cisions of the cantonal courts where the amount in dispute exceeds 3000 francs (about $600). Its criminal jurisdiction extends to cases of high treason against the Confederation or violence against the Federal authorities, to offenses against the law of nations, to political offenses which cause disorder and lead to armed inter vention, and to certain minor offenses.
For the purposes of local government the po litical divisions and subdivisions of Switzerland are cantons, districts, and communes. Each can ton has its own constitution and local govern ment. With a few exceptions t here is a uni cameral legislative body called the Great Council, whose members are elected by popular suf frage, as a rule, for a term of three or four years. It enacts laws, votes the taxes, and
supervises the administration. In the four can tons of Uri, Fntw•walden, Glarus, and Appon zell primary assemblies of all the voters, in many respects like the New England town meeting, take the place of a legislative body. Such as semblies are known as the Landsgenzeinacn. The chief executive authority in all the cantons is a council whose membership varies in number from 5 to 9 in the different cantons. The same may be said of the term of service and the mode of election. At present the members are chosen by popular vote in a majority of the cantons; in the others they are chosen by the local legisla tures. In all the cantonal constitutions except that of Fribourg the referendum (q.v.) as a means of legislation has a prominent place. The initiative likewise plays an important part in local legislation. In all the cantons except Geneva constitutional amendments may be in by popular petition; and in all except Fribourg,, Lucerne, and Valais the same right ex ists in the case of ordinary statutes.
The cantons are divided into districts. The chief executive and administrative authority in the district is a sort of prefect either popularly elected or chosen by the cantonal Council. A subdivision of the district is called the commune (Gemeindc). In some of these the popular town meeting is the chief organ of government; in the others there is a local legislative assembly pnpn l:n•ly elected. In all of them the chief executive authority is a small council consisting of a president or mayor and not less than four members.