The Court of Cassation (a term meaning abrogation or annulment by a higher authority) is the supreme court of Egypt’s common court system.
Appeals to the Court of Cassation are limited to issues of law, although judgments unsupported by sufficient evidence can be and sometimes are reversed as erroneous as a matter of law.
Composition and Jurisdiction
The Court of Cassation consists of over 450 judges who are organized into circuits, and who hear cases in each circuit in panels of at least five. (More than five judges may sit in a circuit and hear cases, but at least five must sign the judgment order.) Only about 300 of those judges actually sit in court in Egypt, with the remainder seconded (serving temporary duty) to sit as judges in other countries, especially in the Arab Middle East. Cases involving legal issues on which circuits are divided are decided by a special panel of 11 senior judges.
In felony trials in which the Court of Cassation has reversed criminal court judgments twice, a third and final trial is conducted by a special panel of five Court of Cassation judges.
The President of the Court of Cassation is selected by the general assembly of the court (the general body of the court’s judges) from among the court’s three most senior members. The President of the Court of Cassation also serves as the President of the Supreme Judicial Council.
Official Website
The Court of Cassation maintains an official website (difficult to find) on which it publishes many of its civil and some criminal judgments. While in Arabic, Google Translate can be used to get a fairly good idea of its contents.