Virginia Circuit Court Jurisdiction Amount

Virginia Circuit Court Jurisdiction Amount

Virginia Circuit Court Jurisdiction Amount

The judicial branch of government is made up of the Supreme Court and several other lower courts established by law. Only the Supreme Court, however, is a constitutional court - its creation being provided by the Constitution under Section1, Article VIII. The 1987 Constitution, which was adopted after the overthrow of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos's totalitarian regime, conferred unique powers on the Supreme Court to afford greater protection to the individual's fundamental rights and guard against governmental abuses.

Composition of the Supreme Court

The Philippine Supreme Court is composed of one chief justice and 14 associate justices. The justices are allowed to hear cases en banc, which means all of them sitting together, or in divisions of three, five or seven members. Under Sec. 4(2), Art. VIII of the Constitution, however, the following cases are required to be decided en banc:

  • Those involving the constitutionality of a treaty, international or executive agreement, or law
  • Those involving the constitutionality, application, or operation of presidential decrees, proclamations, orders, instructions, ordinances and other regulations
  • Those required by the Rules of Court to be decided en banc
  • The modification or reversal of doctrines laid down by the Court sitting in division or en banc

Definition of Judicial Power

The chief function of the judicial branch is the exercise of judicial power. Unlike the US Constitution, Sec. 1, par. 2, Art. VIII of the Philippine Constitution defines judicial power as "the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable, and to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the Government."