Supreme Court of Cartadania

The Supreme Court of Cartadania (SUTRICA) is the in the judiciary of the Federative Republic of Cartadania. It resides inside the Supreme Court building in the Giulia district of Alahuela, overlooking the Federal gardens. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, the power of judicial review over laws passed by the National Congress and the legislatures of the states, and the ability to interpret the Constitution of Cartadania and thereby shape the development of federalism within the country. It also judges, in original jurisdiction, cases involving members of congress, senators, secretaries, members of the federal courts, and the President and Vice-President of the Republic.

Its bench is composed of nine justices, including a Chief Justice, currently Esperanza Rodriguez. Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the court's bench with the advice and consent of the president and Congress, though, in times of judicial emergency, they may conditionally appoint a justice without legislative or executive input. Justices are appointed to the court for life unless they retire earlier.

History
Following the 1618 establishment of the Odridian Confederation, there was no central apex court. It was suggested that the government establish such a court to alleviate issues that could not, without bias, be solved by the state courts. This suggestion, however, was dismissed due to concerns about the costs of establishing a centrally located court and the cost and time associated with traveling from more distant states. In 1671, the constitution that formed the current republic mandated the creation of a central court with jurisdiction over disputes between states, federal law, the constitutionality of laws, and original jurisdiction over all cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a state shall be a party, though it did have as much power as it does today.

The early Supreme Court was very limited in scope and was seated by justices from state supreme courts in rotating order for a set amount of time (typically 1-2 years each). This was the precedent unchallenged for nearly thirty years. In the events leading to the Ano Vermelho, the supreme court routinely declined cases, instead referring them back down to lower courts due to lack of certain powers, since the president still held partial judicial power, and due to affiliation between some state justices and the individuals in power. Thusly, in the 1710 revision of the Constitution of Cartadania, Congress stripped the president of all judicial powers, transferring them to the court. This also increased the number of Justices from five to nine, where it sits today.

Though allowing the court to travel between locations to hear cases closer to their origin has been considered for many years, when the current building was established in the early 20th century, the court elected to sit permanently in Alahuela, assuming no mandatory movement is necessary.