How is the Court structured?
The structure of the Court can seem complicated. The Court consists of a number of judges equal to that of the High Contracting Parties and are elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It is divided into five Sections. Each judge is assigned to a section for a period of three years. The Sections take into account the different legal systems of the Contracting States. Each section has a chamber made up of seven judges and a Committee of three judges. Most judgements are given by chambers. The role of the Committees is to dispose of cases which are clearly inadmissible. Committees deal only with individual complaints, not inter-State cases. If they cannot reach a unanimous decision, the case is referred to the Grand Chamber. A Grand Chamber is made up of seventeen judges, including the President, Vice-President and Section Presidents. The Grand Chamber deals with cases where there are difficulties interpreting or applying the Convention. In addition, either party m
