What branch administers law in Cuba?

The Supreme Court of Cuba serves as the nation's highest judicial branch of government.

Cuban courts are organized into three tiers that match the governmental divisions (national or Supreme Court, provincial, and municipal). Most civil and criminal cases tried at the municipal and provincial levels are adjudicated by a panel of two lay judges and one professional judge. Cases that involve a potential sentence longer than eight years or complex civil law issues are heard, at the provincial or supreme level, by a panel of three professional judges and two lay judges. Both professional and lay judges are elected to their positions by the legislative assembly.

Lay judges are peasants, workers, professionals, housewives, university students, who form the judicial panels along with the professional judges. They have the same rights to make decisions on the cases that are submitted to the courts. They serve for 30-day terms.

Under Cuban law, all judges are required to be independent in their judgment and are subject only to the law.

Please, visit our Authentic Cuba Travel®- Legal System page for further information.