The majority of contemporary legal instruments and principles date back to the colonial legislation enacted by the British in the period between 1878 and 1960.
Unlike in the United Kingdom the British Government of Cyprus enacted numerous codifications of the common law principles, known as Chapters.
However, since 1960 the courts of the Republic have developed a rich body of case law of their own, which is thought to be more authoritative and better suited to the particular features of local society.
Until the accession of Cyprus to the European Union the Constitution was the hierarchically highest norm of the legal system.
To this end, the Supreme Court has the ability to examine the compatibility of any law passed by the Parliament with constitutional provisions.
Furthermore, if the question of constitutionality of a legislative provision is raised in ordinary criminal or civil proceedings, the relevant first instance court may also examine it as a secondary issue arising in that procedure.
The official criteria for being appointed to the court is that the person must be a 'jurist of high professional and moral level'; without mentioning that they must be already part of the judiciary.
[8] The Supreme Constitutional Court (Greek: Ανώτατο Συνταγματικό Δικαστήριο, romanized: Anótato Syntagmatikó Dikastírio) was established on 1 July 2023 and is composed of seven[6] judges.
Nevertheless, the District Courts' criminal competence is limited - they may only impose sanctions which count up to five years of imprisonment.
While in the Criminal Division, there is no distinction as to what level of Judge will hear a specific case, in the Civil Division, the level of the judge that will hear the case depends on the size of the claim, with only Presidents having jurisdiction over claims that extend beyond five hundred thousand euros.
In the Criminal Division, the District Courts may only hear cases in which the offence carries a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment.
The Family Courts have exclusive jurisdiction to determine petitions for divorce, custody of children, maintenance and property disputes between spouses where the parties are members of the Greek Orthodox Church.
[10] The Industrial Disputes Tribunal has exclusive jurisdiction to determine matters arising from the termination of employment such as the payment of compensation.
A sweeping modification of the national Civil Procedure Rules was approved by the Supreme Court of Cyprus on 19 May 2021, marking the end of an extensive period of cooperative effort involving law specialists, judges, and attorneys.
This reform promises to significantly enhance the operational effectiveness of the Cyprus legal system, as well as dispute management and resolution procedures.
The previous Civil Procedure Rules, implemented in the 1950s, had been subjected to several unsuccessful revision attempts.
The committee, composed of judges, attorneys, and a registrar, was directed by Mrs. Persefoni Panayi, the present President of the Supreme Court.