Government bodies

Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada

Website of the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs (OCFJA) the Canadian body whose role is to provide administrative support to the federal judiciary and safeguard its independence. The Commissioner is also responsible for the administration of federal judicial appointments and the site includes information and guidance on the appointments process. There is background information on the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal along with law reports which are made available in either full-text or digest form.

Legal Service of the European Commission

The Legal Service of the European Commission is the in-house legal adviser to the Commission. Its functions include drafting legislation and representing the Commission in the courts. The Legal Service is also responsible for coordinating the official codification of Community legislation. The website gives background information about the role and structure of the Legal Service, including an organisation chart and links to official documents and related organisations. It is available in English, French and German.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

The Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) brings together justice and interior ministers from the EU member states to make collective decisions on justice and home affairs policy; it is one of the configurations of the Council of the European Union. This page of the Council of the European Union's website introduces the JHA and provides links to information about important current policy areas. Dates of forthcoming meetings are also listed.

Directorate General for the Environment

Website of the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Environment. The Directorate's main role is to develop and monitor the EU's environment policy. The Policies and Resources sections provide a large amount of information and documentation concerning the work of the D-G, in areas including climate change, land use, nature and biodiversity, sustainable development, waste and water. Materials provided include legislation, reports, conference papers, newsletters, speeches and statistics.

Hungarian Intellectual Property Office

The website of the Hungarian Patent Office provides guidance and legal information on obtaining patents and trademarks in Hungary. Copies of Hungarian laws and regulations are provided online along with contact details of Hungarian patent agents. The site also includes information on plant variety protection, utility model protection, trademarks, designs and copyright issues in Hungary. The Hungarian Industrial Property Database, which has information on patents, utility models, trademarks and designs protected in Hungary, is free to search on the site.

Italian Constitutional Court

Official website of the Italian Constitutional Court. This site includes information about the work of the court including brief biographical details of its President, Vice President and judges. A calendar of public hearings and closed sessions is given along with court pronouncements and summaries (in Italian only) of judgements back to 1956. Recent judgements (from 2006 onwards), felt to be of interest to foreign users, can be viewed in English in full text.

Caribbean Court of Justice

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is a regional judicial tribunal established in 2001. It replaced the Privy Council as the final court of appeal for member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 2005. The court's website provides its judgments from 2005 onwards, together with legislation, court rules, papers and articles. There is also background information about the CCJ and its jurisdiction and its judges.

Sentencing Council

The Sentencing Council website provides information on the work of the  Sentencing Council for England and Wales. This body "promotes greater consistency in sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary". There is information on sentencing guidelines, the Sentencing Code and how sentencing works. There is also guidance on going to court and the sentences handed down for common offences. 

 

Attorney General's Chambers (Brunei)

Website of the Attorney General of Brunei Darussalam, the principal legal advisor to the government. Provides background information on the role of the Attorney General and a list of all holders of the post back to 1959. Outline information on the divisions of the Attorney General's Chambers dealing with civil law, criminal law and legislative drafting is also given. Selected laws of Brunei are available on the site in PDF format.

International Criminal Court

Website of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is based at the Hague in the Netherlands. It role is to promote the rule of law and deal with the most serious international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The founding Rome Statute is available on the website, together with other basic legal texts, information about ongoing cases and annual reports. Background information about the Court is also provided, including details of its history, organisation and management. The site can be viewed in English or French.

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