Subordinate courts of Singapore
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| Website | https://www.statecourts.gov.sg/; https://www.facebook.com/StateCourtsSingapore |
The State Courts of Singapore (Formerly the Subordinate Courts) are one of the two tiers of the court system in Singapore, the other tier being the Supreme Court. The State Courts comprise the District and Magistrate Courts—both of which oversee civil and criminal matters—as well as specialised courts such as the coroner's courts and the Small Claims Tribunals.
The State Courts comprise district and magistrate courts and hear both civil and criminal cases that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Over 95% of all judicial cases in Singapore are heard in the State Courts. Its annual volume averages about 350,000 cases.
The judges, magistrates, and registrars of the State Courts are all legal service officers and serve under the supervision and control of Singapore's Legal Service Commission. Judges and magistrates are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Chief Justice.
According to the latest Annual Report published by the State Courts, there are six main operational units in the State Courts. They are the Civil Justice Division; the Community Justice & Tribunals Division; the Criminal Justice Division; the Centre for Dispute Resolution; the Corporate Services Division; and the Strategic Planning & Technology Division.
The Presiding Judge of the State Courts, a position held by a Supreme Court Judge or Judicial Commissioner, has overall responsibility for the administration of the State Courts. The Presiding Judge leads a team of judicial officers who adjudicate on cases brought before the State Courts. He is assisted administratively by the Deputy Presiding Judge / Registrar and the Corporate and Court Services Division.
In October 2014, the Family Justice Courts were formed, and therefore family and youth-related cases no longer fall under the purview of the State Courts.
The senior judicial officers of the State Courts are:
The State Courts (then known as the Subordinate Courts) officially began operating at 1 Havelock Square on 15 September 1975. The construction of the State Courts Building marked the centralisation of the delivery of justice from various courthouses to one courthouse at 1 Havelock Square. Prior to 1975, the Criminal District and Magistrates’ Courts were located in South Bridge Road, between North Canal Road and Upper Pickering Street; the Traffic Courts were housed in the former Sepoy Lines Police Station in Outram; while the Civil District Courts operated out of the old Parliament Building and the Supreme Court Building at St. Andrew’s Road.
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