Constitutional Court of Thailand
The Constitutional Court of Thailand is the ultimate authority on constitutional law in Thailand.
Composition
The court is composed of 9 justices and decisions are made by simple majority.
Justices are appointed by the king with senatorial recommendation, and serve 9-year terms.
3 justices are required to be appointed from the 3 were required to be appointed from the SCJ. 2 justices are required to be appointed from the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC).
History
The 1997 Constitution established the Constitutional Court of Thailand with 15 members appointed by the king with senatorial recommendation. 5 were required to be appointed from the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ); 2 were required to be appointed from Supreme Administrative Court (SAC). Members were meant to serve 9-year terms.
Following the 2006 coup, the court was dissolved and replaced with a Constitutional Tribunal. All 9 members were required to be appointed from the SCJ and SAC. This tribunal was used to ban and criminalize political activity contrary to monarchist and militarist interests, especially the Thai Rak Thai Party which had served as the democratically-elected government.
The 2007 Constitution then re-established the court with essentially the modern design. Members were meant to serve 9-year terms. However, this court continued to serve following the 2014 coup.
The 2017 Constitution reaffirmed the 2007 structure. The court has continued to serve as a tool for monarchist and militarist interests. Most recently, it banned the Move Forward Party which won a supermajority of the electable seats in the 2023 elections.