Supreme Court of Croatia

Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia
Croatian: Vrhovni sud Republike Hrvatske
Palace of the Supreme Court is located at the Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square
Interactive map of Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia
Croatian: Vrhovni sud Republike Hrvatske
45°48′41.5″N 15°58′43.5″E / 45.811528°N 15.978750°E / 45.811528; 15.978750
Jurisdiction Croatia
LocationZagreb
Coordinates45°48′41.5″N 15°58′43.5″E / 45.811528°N 15.978750°E / 45.811528; 15.978750
Composition methodElected by the State Judicial Council
Authorised byConstitution of the Republic of Croatia
Judge term lengthFive years in the first term, life tenure after renewal with mandatory retirement at the age of 70
Number of positions43[1]
Websitevshr.hr
President
CurrentlyGordana Jalšovečki – acting
since 10 March 2025

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Vrhovni sud Republike Hrvatske) is the highest court in the country, which ensures the uniform application of laws and equal justice to all.

Judicial system

Courts protect the legal order of the Republic of Croatia as established by the Constitution and law, and provide for the uniform application of law and equal justice for all.[2]

Administration of justice in the Republic of Croatia is carried out by:

  • municipal courts,
  • county courts,
  • commercial courts,
  • administrative courts,
  • the High Commercial Court of the Republic of Croatia,
  • the High Administrative Court of the Republic of Croatia
  • the High Misdemeanour Court of the Republic of Croatia,
  • the High Criminal Court of the Republic of Croatia and
  • the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia.

N.B. Since July 2018 (effective as of 1 January 2019) former misdemeanour courts have become specialized sections within municipal courts (2 misdemeanour courts - in Zagreb and in Split - have been retained as separate courts - the Municipal Misdemeanour Court in Zagreb and the Municipal Misdemeanour Court in Split), also former Municipal Court in Zagreb has been divided into three courts: the Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb, the Municipal Criminal Court in Zagreb and the Municipal Labour Court in Zagreb.[3]

In early 2026, the judicial hierarchy was adjusted to handle specialized caseloads. The Varaždin County Court was granted jurisdiction over corruption and organized crime cases (USKOK cases), relieving the previous concentration of such matters in Zagreb. Furthermore, jurisdiction over consumer bankruptcy was shifted to commercial courts to improve efficiency in financial litigation.[4]

Powers and responsibilities

Supreme Court basic duties:

  1. ensures the uniform application of law and equal protection of all citizens before the law,
  2. discusses all important legal issues arising from the court practice
  3. decides on extraordinary legal remedies against final decisions of all courts in the Republic of Croatia (cassation, criminal revision etc.),
  4. hears appeals against decisions of county courts rendered in the first instance and, in special cases, hears appeals against decisions of county courts rendered in the second instance,
  5. hears appeals against decisions of the High Commercial Court of the Republic of Croatia, the High Administrative Court of the Republic of Croatia, the High Misdemeanour Court of the Republic of Croatia and the High Criminal Court of the Republic of Croatia, and any other court when specified so by the law,
  6. decides on the conflict of jurisdiction between the courts in the territory of the Republic of Croatia when they have the same immediately superiour court,
  7. provides for the professional development of judges.

In 2026, following amendments to the Courts Act, the Supreme Court's procedural flexibility was expanded to allow the court to sit in extended panels when prescribed by specific laws for particular legal matters, moving beyond the standard three-judge panel structure for complex cases.[5]

Additionally, as part of the 2026 judicial efficiency package, the Supreme Court oversees a streamlined process for the protection of the right to a trial within a reasonable time. Requests are now submitted directly to the President of the court where the case is being held, with the Supreme Court serving as the final instance for appeals against such rulings to ensure uniform standards in judicial delays.[6]

Composition

The Supreme Court consists of the President and a number of judges, currently numbering 43.[7] It is organized into two primary divisions: the Criminal Department and the Civil Department.

The President of the Supreme Court is elected and relieved of duty by the Croatian Parliament at the proposal of the President of the Republic and following a prior opinion of the Parliament's Justice Committee and the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court.

Judicial office is permanent, but exceptionally, at assuming the judicial office for the first time, judges are appointed for a five-year term. After the renewal of the appointment, judges assume their duty as permanent.

All judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council and relieves them of judicial duty, as well as decides on their disciplinary responsibility.

A judge can be relieved of judicial office upon:

  1. self-request
  2. becoming permanently incapacitated to perform judicial office
  3. becoming unworthy of the judicial office after being sentenced for a criminal offence
  4. a decision of the National Judicial Council due to the commitment of an act of serious infringement of discipline
  5. when reaching 70 years of age

Furthermore, the criteria for the professional evaluation of judges were updated to emphasize the quality and quantity of judicial output, which now accounts for a higher percentage of the scoring system used by the State Judicial Council for promotions. For the President of the Supreme Court, new provisions specify that an confirmed indictment for a criminal offense that renders the individual "unworthy of duty" is grounds for immediate dismissal by the Parliament.[8]

Digitalization and Transparency

Following the 2025 implementation of the automated ANON system, all final decisions of the Supreme Court are now automatically anonymized and published on a centralized public portal. This reform, finalized in early 2026, aimed to eliminate the backlog of unpublished rulings and ensure full transparency of judicial practice. The court has also integrated its "e-File" system with broader EU judicial networks to facilitate faster cross-border legal cooperation.[5]

Presidents of the Supreme Court

No. Full name
(Lifespan) 		Term began Term ended Service Notes
1 Vjekoslav Vidović[9]
(1919–2006) 		12 December 1990 14 February 1992 1 year,
64 days 		Went into mandatory retirement after a partial term of office.
2 Zlatko Crnić[9]
(1940–1992) 		29 March 1992 29 September 1992 184 days Died in office.
3 Milan Vuković[9]
(1933–2018) 		1 December 1992 3 May 1995 2 years,
153 days 		First partial term. Elected as a judge of the Constitutional Court.
4 Krunislav Olujić[9]
(1952–) 		26 May 1995 19 February 1997 1 year,
269 days 		One partial term. Relieved from office by a disciplinary decision of the State Judicial Council.
5 Milan Vuković
(1933–2018) 		28 February 1997 25 February 1999 1 year,
362 days 		Second partial term. Re-lected as a judge of the Constitutional Court.
6 Marijan Ramušćak[10]
(1938–) 		10 March 1999 15 February 2001 1 year,
342 days 		One partial term. Resigned at his own request during the period of judicial reforms in 2001.
7 Ivica Crnić[11]
(1951–) 		15 May 2001 15 May 2005 4 years,
0 days 		One full term. Did not seek reelection.
8 Branko Hrvatin[12]
(1959–) 		19 July 2005 19 July 2017 12 years,
0 days 		Three full terms.
9 Đuro Sessa
(1957–)[13] 		20 July 2017 20 July 2021 4 years,
0 days 		One full term. Did not seek reelection.
10 Radovan Dobronić[14][15]
(1960–2025) 		18 October 2021 8 March 2025 3 years,
144 days 		Died in office.
– Gordana Jalšovečki
(1959–)[16] 		10 March 2025 Incumbent - Judge authorized to perform court administration tasks of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia.

References

  1. ^ "Sudski odjeli". Vrhovni sud Republike Hrvatske. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  2. ^ "About Judicial Power". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  3. ^ "Zakon o područjima i sjedištima sudova". Narodne novine (in Croatian). Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  4. ^ "Amendments to package of laws to improve the justice system". Ministry of Justice. 2025-10-16.
  5. ^ a b "Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o sudovima". Narodne novine (in Croatian). Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  6. ^ Habijan, Damir (2026-01-28). "Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act aim at speeding up court proceedings". Ministry of Justice and Public Administration. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  7. ^ "Supreme Court of Croatia". Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  8. ^ "2025 Rule of Law Report - Country Chapter: Croatia". European Commission. 2025-07-08. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  9. ^ a b c d "Former Presidents". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  10. ^ "Marijan Ramušćak". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  11. ^ "Ivica Crnić". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  12. ^ "Branko Hrvatin". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  13. ^ "Đuro Sessa". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  14. ^ "New President of the Supreme Court of Croatia | Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Court of the European Union". www.network-presidents.eu. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  15. ^ "Radovan Dobronić". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  16. ^ "Gordana Jalšovečki". www.vsrh.hr. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
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