Judiciary of Belgium

• appellate jurisdiction over the judgements made by the tribunals of first instance and enterprise tribunals in their judicial area, except for petty cases and judgements in which a tribunal of first instance already exercised appellate review. The chambers of indictment of the courts of appeal hear appeals in judicial investigations led by an investigative judge, and decide on indictments for trials by a court of assizes. The court of appeal of Brussels also has a specific division referred to as the Market Court, which hears appeals against certain decisions made by regulators regarding regulated markets. Lastly, the courts of appeal have original jurisdiction over crimes committed by certain judicial or executive officers in or outside of the exercise of their office. Only the courts of appeal of Brussels and Liège have jurisdiction over any such crime committed by federal or regional ministers, and they can only try a minister with the permission of the legislative assembly on which their government depends. The judgements of the courts of appeal are final as to questions of fact; they can only be appealed at the Court of Cassation on questions of law.^[2]
• Court of labour (Dutch: arbeidshof, French: cour du travail, German: Arbeitsgerichtshof): the courts of labour are the appellate courts in the Belgian judicial system that hear appeals against judgements of the labour tribunals in their judicial area. There is a court of labour in each of the five respective judicial areas of Belgium, just like the courts of appeal. They have appellate jurisdiction over all judgements of the labour tribunals without any exceptions. An important aspect of the courts of labour is the involvement of lay judges appointed on the advice of employers' organisations and trade unions. The judgements of the courts of labour are final as to questions of fact; they can only be appealed at the Court of Cassation on questions of law.^[3]

• press crimes by virtue of the Belgian Constitution, which mandates a jury trial for these types of crimes. Suspects cannot be tried by a court of assizes without a prior indictment by the chamber of indictment of a court of appeal. The judgements of the courts of assizes are final as to questions of fact; they can only be appealed at the Court of Cassation on questions of law.^[4]
• Tribunal of first instance (Dutch: rechtbank van eerste aanleg, French: tribunal de première instance, German: Gericht erster Instanz):
• Labour tribunal (Dutch: arbeidsrechtbank, French: tribunal du travail, German: Arbeitsgericht):
• Enterprise tribunal (Dutch: ondernemingsrechtbank, French: tribunal de l'entreprise, German: Unternehmensgericht):
• Arrondissement tribunal (Dutch: arrondissementsrechtbank, French: tribunal d'arrondissement, German: Bezirksgericht):

Minor jurisdiction

• traffic violations or traffic accidents (both civil and criminal). They also have appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative penalties imposed by municipalities or specific administrative entities. Their judgements can generally be appealed at the tribunals of first instance, except for petty cases and appellate judgements on administrative penalties.^[5]
• utility bills. They also have original jurisdiction in certain matters of family law, most notably legal guardianships for incapacitated seniors and the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill. They do not have any jurisdiction over criminal cases. The judgements of the justices of the peace can, with some exceptions, be appealed at the tribunals of first instance.^[6]