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Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. It is also the highest court of appeal (or court of last resort) for several independent countries that were formerly part of the British Empire, the UK overseas territories and the British crown dependencies.

The judicial system of the United Kingdom is unusual in having no highest national court; the Judicial Committee is the highest court of appeal in some cases, while in many others the highest court of appeal is the House of Lords.

The Judicial Committee has the power to hear cases involving:

Formerly appeals to the Privy Council could be made from Australia; however this right of appeal was effectively abolished from the Commonwealth Courts by the Privy Council (Limitation of Appeals) Act 1968 and the Privy Council (Appeals from the High Court) Act 1975, and from the State courts by the Australia Act 1986[?].

Appeals could also be made from Canada until 1949, and even after the Supreme Court of Canada was founded in 1875. During that time appeals to the Privy Council could bypass the Supreme Court.



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