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The Judiciary of Panama includes the Panama Supreme court, which has the strongest say in the judicial system of the country. The supreme court is composed of nine alternates and nine magistrates, who are all appointed by the Panama President, in agreement with the legislative assembly. The magistrates and the alternates serve the judicial office for a tenure of ten years.
The Judiciary of Panama also includes four Panama superior courts in the country. The superior court judges are appointed by the supreme court magistrates. The superior court judges, in turn, appoint the judges of the eighteen circuit courts in the country. Each province has one civil and one criminal court. The Judiciary of Panama also includes at least one municipal court in each of the Panama districts.
The lower judicial administrative division of Panama comprise of the 'corregidores' and the 'night' or the police judges who have the power to hear cases that include sentencing upto one year. Juxtaposed with the Justices of Peace, these judges are appointed by the municipal mayors of Panama. Judiciary of Panama in this division does not fall under the code of criminal procedure.
The right to have equal opportunities to live and struggle for one's defense is reflected in the Panama judicial procedures. Even a convict is allowed to hire a defender, who can bring the pros and cons of the case in front of the public court. At this juncture, it is the responsibility of the Judicial Technical Police to perform any kind of investigation on behalf of the public prosecutors.
The Judiciary of Panama also includes an independent judiciary. The 1996 amendment in the Panama constitution has an important clause that abolished the stringent military protection on the border and replaced it with a special police task force.
The Judiciary of Panama is all about implementing rules and regulations, which are needed for the safety and security of the country and its people.
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