The 16 Best Supreme Court Buildings From Around the World

A Supreme Court is a court of law with the highest amount of authority and the largest legal jurisdiction in a country. It is the court of final appeal or last resort. Because of their importance, supreme courts are often housed in beautifully designed and extravagant buildings.

I looked at the supreme court building of every single country on planet earth. Many of them were expertly built, others were downright ugly. From that original batch of almost 200 buildings I narrowed it down to the best 16.

Disclaimer: There are lots of incredible supreme court buildings from around the world. This list was quite difficult to compile and narrow down.

16. India

Designed in an Indo-British style by architect Ganesh Bhikaji Deolalikar, the building of the Supreme Court of India is an imposing structure that houses one of the most influential courts in the world. Construction originally began in 1954 and ended in 1958 when the court’s judges officially moved in.

The east and west wings of the building were added in 1979 to create a premises that contains 15 courtrooms for the Supreme Court’s thirty four judge positions.

15. Namibia

The Supreme Court of Namibia has a maximum of only 4 positions but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at its sizable building which has spacious offices for the justices, two large courtrooms, and a large library filled with legal research and books.

Construction on the premises started in 1994 and ended in 1996 in the capital city of Windhoek. The design skillfully combines African architecture with aspects of modernism and brutalism.

14. Poland

The Supreme Court of Poland’s building is located in Krasiński Square in Warsaw near Krasiński Palace, the court’s previous place of meeting. The design is a combination of modernism and neo-classicism. The splendid government complex is large enough to have offices for Poland’s 120 Supreme Court judge positions.

13. Peru

Peru’s Supreme Court was established nearly 200 years ago in 1825. Its building, the Palace of Justice, was fully constructed in the late 1930s in the capital city of Lima. The stately structure was designed in a neo-classical style that does due justice to the importance of the court to the South American nation. The designs are based on Belgium’s Palace of Justice building.

12. Oman

The Supreme Court of Oman is new and so is its palatial building. The six-story tall structure is located in the city of Al Ghubrah near the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It houses spacious offices for judges, the Court secretariat office, and offices for the Public Prosecution service. It appears to be fashioned after Islamic architecture with some modernistic influence.

11. Thailand

Thailand’s Supreme Court was established in 1891 after the dissolving of the country’s monarchy but its current premises was built in 1939 and underwent major renovation in 2017. Like much of the structures in Thailand, the resplendent court building is heavily influenced by Chinese architecture.

The distinctive clear white is meant to represent the independence of the judiciary.

10. Brazil

The premises of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil is situated at the Three Powers Plaza, near the presidential office and the congress building. The plaza is a major tourist attraction of Brasília, Brazil’s capital city. Like the other structures on the plaza, the striking court building employs a modernistic architectural style.

9. Pakistan

Pakistan’s Supreme Court building was completed in 1993 and is inspired by neo-classical and modernist architecture. It is located on Constitution avenue (sound familiar?) in the capital city of Islamabad, near the prime minister’s office, the parliament building, and the president’s residence.

The building was part of a larger effort by the government of Pakistan to move toward modernism in government structures. Legendary Japanese architect Kenzō Tange designed it.

8. Sri Lanka

Established in 1801 the Sri Lankan Supreme Court consists of 17 justices and its building is designed in a style as unique as the country itself. It combines aspects of Buddhist and Chinese architecture to create a superb government building that has become a major tourist attraction in the capital city of Colombo.

7. Egypt

The highest court in Egypt, the Supreme Constitutional Court, was established in 1979. The building in which the court is housed was completed in 2000 and was designed by Egyptian architect Ahmed Mito. It is a remarkable example of Egyptian Revivalist Architecture in the modern age.

In addition to the main courtroom the complex houses numerous offices, a large library, a museum, and an atrium.

6. France

Another Palace of Justice is situated in France’s capital city of Paris and is the home of the highest court in the land, the Court of Cassation. The court was established during the French Revolution in 1790 but the glorious palace wouldn’t be constructed until 1868 when Napoleon III was emperor during the Second Empire.

The location of the premises is the same one as the Palais de la Cité, which served as a royal residence during the middle ages.

5. Israel

The Supreme Court of Israel was founded in 1948, the same year the country declared itself to be independent from the British empire. However, its current building wouldn’t be opened until 1992 after being designed by Ram Karmi and his sister Ada Karmi-Melamede. They were able to mix brutalism and traditional Middle Eastern architecture that resulted in a structure that architectural critic Paul Goldberger called “Israel’s finest public building”.

4. United States of America

The Supreme Court of the United States of America is probably the most influential and famous court in the world, and its neo-classical building is iconic. Its construction was completed in 1935, before that the Supreme Court would meet in various locations around the country including the US capitol.

From 1860 to 1935 the old senate chamber contained the US Supreme Court. This was a poor working environment for the highest court in the land. It was cramped and justices complained about the chamber being overheated.

President William Howard Taft, who would go on to become Chief Justice, advocated for the creation of a separate Supreme Court building. He tapped his friend and well known architect Cass Gilbert to design it. The monumental structure is 4 stories tall and has 5 floors.

3. Singapore

Singapore is well known for its modernistic and technologically advanced structures, and its Supreme Court building is no different. The highest court in the land convenes in a complex that was completed in 2005 and is designed by the UK based architectural firm Foster and Partners.

The premises cleverly uses neo-futurism and aspects of contemporary architecture while paying homage to the old supreme court building. The old structure had a dome at the top while the new one has a disc that houses the main courtroom and signifies the impartiality of the justices.

2. Italy

Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation is housed in the country’s Palace of Justice in Rome. The marvelous building was originally constructed between 1888 and 1910, during the existence of the Kingdom of Italy but it has gone through several renovations since then. The designer, Guglielmo Calderini, took inspiration from Baroque and Renaissance architecture to create a premises built using travertine limestone.

1. Malaysia

The highest court in Malaysia is called the Federal Court of Malaysia. The court in which the building is located is (again) called the Palace of Justice. The magnificent structure is located in the administrative capital city of Putrajaya. Constructed in 2003, it takes inspiration from classical Islamic architecture, western-Islamic Moorish architecture, and European Palladian design.

It has 5 floors and houses 2 Federal courts (including the Supreme Court), 6 lower courts of appeal, several high level registrar offices, a library, a museum, and a large conference hall.