Legal System of Honduras

Honduras is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in central america, bordering the caribbean sea, between guatemala and nicaragua and bordering the gulf of fonseca (north pacific ocean), between el salvador and nicaragua. The country achieved independence on 15 september 1821 (from spain). The capital is Tegucigalpa.

Government Overview

Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: President Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (since 27 January 2022) Head of Government: President Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (since 27 January 2022) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president Administrative Divisions: 18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlántida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazán, Gracias a Dios, Intibucá, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro National Holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Legal System

The legal system of Honduras is described as civil law system International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest approved 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982 Amendment Process: proposed by the National Congress with at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Congress in its next annual session; constitutional articles, such as the form of government, national sovereignty, the presidential term, and the procedure for amending the constitution, cannot be amended

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 principal judges, including the court president, and 6 alternates; court organized into civil, criminal, constitutional, and labor chambers) Judge Selection: court president elected by his peers; judges elected by the National Congress from candidates proposed by the Nominating Board, a diverse 7-member group of judicial officials and other government and non-government officials nominated by each of their organizations; judges elected by Congress for renewable, 7-year terms Subordinate Courts: courts of appeal; courts of first instance; justices of the peace

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: yes Citizenship by Descent: yes Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Historical Background

Once part of Spain’s vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Honduras based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.