Judicial Circuits of Panama: Districts, Circuits and Competence.

Knowing which court hears a matter starts with understanding how the territory is divided for judicial purposes. The Judicial Code organizes the country into three descending levels, over which the competence of judges is distributed. This guide explains it.

Informational guide. The territorial organization is set by the Judicial Code (Book One, "Judicial Organization", articles 65 to 68).

Three levels: districts, circuits and judicial municipalities

Article 65 of the Judicial Code divides the territory, for jurisdictional purposes, into:

• Four Judicial Districts (article 66):
• First: Panama, Colón, Darién and the Guna Yala Comarca. Seat of the Superior Court: Panama City.
• Second: Coclé and Veraguas. Seat: Penonomé.
• Third: Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro. Seat: David.
• Fourth: Herrera and Los Santos. Seat: Las Tablas.
• Each district is divided into Judicial Circuits, and these into Judicial Municipalities, matching the country's political-administrative division (article 67).

Note: article 66 keeps its historical wording; the later creation of the province of Panamá Oeste (Law 119 of 2013) did not alter that text, and the Judiciary has adjusted the operational distribution of courts administratively.

What is a judicial circuit?

It is the intermediate territorial demarcation within a Judicial District that sets the spatial scope of competence of the Circuit Courts (first instance for larger claims and certain matters) and of the Superior Courts on appeal. In practice, each province generally constitutes a Judicial Circuit (Circuit of Panama, Circuit of Chiriquí…), organized into branches: Civil, Criminal, Family and others. Maritime jurisdiction is an exception: it has exclusive nationwide competence.

Jurisdiction and competence: not the same

This is the distinction that confuses most and matters most:

• Jurisdiction is the State's generic power (exercised by the Judiciary) to administer justice. It is one and indivisible; every judge holds it.
• Competence is the measure or limit within which each judge exercises that jurisdiction. It is distributed by subject matter, amount in controversy, territory (where circuits and municipalities operate) and degree/function (first instance, appeal, cassation).

The rule to remember: every judge has jurisdiction, but is only competent for certain matters. Filing before a judge who lacks competence over the territory, subject matter or amount can cost time and a nullity.

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