Note (Back) — Chapter XXV

By the law of 1867 it is stipulated that there shall be maintained at Vienna a Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation (Oberste Gerichts-und Kassationshof) for all of the kingdoms and countries represented in the Reichsrath, and that the organization and jurisdiction of inferior courts shall be determined by law. Of inferior tribunals there have been established 9 higher provincial courts (Oberlandesgerichte),[683] 74 provincial and district courts (Landes-und Kreisgerichte), and 96 county courts (Bezirksgerichte). The provincial and district courts and the county courts, together with a group of jury courts maintained in connection with the provincial and district tribunals, are courts of first instance; the higher provincial courts and the Supreme Court exercise a jurisdiction that is almost wholly appellate. There exist also special courts for commercial, industrial, military, fiscal, and other varieties of jurisdiction.