French judiciary courts

The French judiciary courts (French: ordre judiciaire), also known as "ordinary courts", are one of two main divisions of the dual jurisdictional system in France, the other division being the administrative courts (French: ordre administratif).

Ordinary courts have jurisdiction over two branches of law:

• French civil law (French: droit civil), which involves settling civil cases between private individuals (also known as private law; droit privé)), and
• French criminal law (droit pénal).

Use of the term civil law in France means private law, and should not be confused with the group of legal systems descended from Roman Law known as the civil law legal system, in contrast to the common law legal system.

On an exceptional basis the judiciary may also become involved in certain litigation between an individual and the State or some other public person. Such litigation would include matters of expropriation, for example, where the expropriated party does not agree with the indemnification amount. Traffic accidents in which one of the vehicles belongs to the government would also fall under the jurisdiction of this court, as well, in this instance, as that of the juge civil, who also has the power to act; another example would be a case when the propriety of a contrôle d'identité is contested and needs to be determined.