The Supreme Court is composed of the President, the Vice-President, Presidents of Divisions, Presidents of Panels and other judges. The President and the Vice-President are appointed by the President of the Czech Republic for a 10-year term.
President
The President of the Supreme Court has a managerial and administrative role. In addition, the President also participates in decision-making, appoints Presidents of Divisions, Presidents of Panels, judicial assistants, and court employees to managerial positions. The President issues the Organisational Rules and Office Rules and, following discussions at the Plenary Session, the Rules of Procedure. Upon consultation with the Council of Judges, the President issues a Work Schedule for every calendar year. The President of the Supreme Court determines the agenda for the Plenary Session and proposes opinions on courts´ decision-making to the Plenary Session and to the Divisions.
Vice-President
The Vice-President of the Supreme Court shall substitute the President when the latter is absent. When the latter is present, the Vice-President exercises the powers conferred by the President. The Vice-President also oversees the handling of complaints, in particular those concerning proceedings before courts at all levels of the judiciary, collects comments from the Supreme Court judges on forthcoming Acts of Parliament and, in cooperation with the Judicial Academy, takes care of the training courses for assistants, advisers and employees of the Supreme Court.
Divisions
Judges of the Supreme Court form Divisions according to their specialization. The Supreme Court has two Divisions, namely the Civil and Commercial Division and the Criminal Division. They are headed by the Presidents of Divisions, who manage and organise their activities. Divisions adopt Opinions on decision-making practice of courts, monitor and evaluate their final decisions and generalise the findings. Upon proposals by the President of the Supreme Court, Presidents of Divisions and Presidents of Grand Panels, they adopt Opinions, and select and decide to include seminal decisions in the Collection of Decisions and Opinions of the Supreme Court.
Panels
As a rule, the Supreme Court sits in Panels or in Grand Panels of Divisions. Three-member Panels decide, in particular, on extraordinary appeals and on the recognition and enforceability of decisions of foreign courts in the Czech Republic, and in criminal cases they also decide on complaints on the violation of the law. Each Panel of the Supreme Court is headed by a President who organises the work of the Panel, including assigning cases to Panel members.
Grand Panels
Grand Panels are composed of at least nine judges from the respective Division of the Supreme Court. The Grand Panel of the Division decides a case when any Panel of the Supreme Court refers the case to it on the ground that it reached a legal opinion which differs from a legal opinion already expressed in a decision of the Supreme Court.
Plenary Session
The Plenary Session, composed of the President of the Supreme Court, the Vice-President of the Supreme Court, Presidents of Divisions, Presidents of Panels, and other Supreme Court judges, is the most important collective body of the Supreme Court. It discusses the Rules of Procedure of the Supreme Court and adopts Opinions on courts´ decision-making on issues concerning the Divisions or issues on which the Divisions differ in their views.
Council of Judges
The Council of Judges was established at the Supreme Court as an advisory body for the President of the Supreme Court.