Law of Ecuador

The legal system of Ecuador is based on civil law, and the country operates as a constitutional republic under the 2008 Constitution, which reorganized the judicial branch that year. Following those reforms, the judiciary runs from the National Court of Justice, its final appellate body of 21 judges, down through provincial courts, tribunals, and judges, supported by the National Council of the Judicature, the Public Defenders Office, and the State Attorneys Office, with a separate Constitutional Court handling constitutional matters and rights violations. The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislature, and Ecuador has also accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction.