[PDF] european court of justice cases uk

What is EU case-law?

… EU case-law is made up of judgments from the European Union's Court of Justice, which interpret EU legislation.

How many judges does the ECJ have?

The UK has three judges, one in the Court of Justice and two in the General Court - the lower level court to the ECJ. The UK also has an advocate general in the court. An advocate general gives legal opinion on important cases which may be influential but is not binding on the court. What sorts of cases does the ECJ rule on?

How does the ECJ decide the interpretation of EU law?

This involves a national court referring a question on the interpretation of EU law to the ECJ. The ECJ decides the correct interpretation and sends the case back to the national court for a final decision. It is still up to the national court to decide issues of its own nation's laws.

How many judges does the UK have?

It consists of judges from all member states. The UK has three judges, one in the Court of Justice and two in the General Court - the lower level court to the ECJ. The UK also has an advocate general in the court. An advocate general gives legal opinion on important cases which may be influential but is not binding on the court.