In France, the development of the judicial system after the break-up of the Carolingian Empire was to that in England: Both the vesting of central in the Crown after a protracted struggle with feudal manorial courts. The essential of the judicial system now in effect in France were after the French of 1789 by the Napoleon. This system includes lower courts of wide jurisdiction, courts of appeal, a court to jurisdictional among courts, and a supreme appellate tribunal called the Court of Cassation. Many European and Latin American judicial systems are modelled on that of France.

In the Islamic world, the Koran is the of law; justice has been dispensed by specially trained priests in conjunction with the king, or sultan. In the 20th century, this system still prevails in such Islamic countries as Yemen and Saudi Arabia. In Turkey, however, executive, , and judicial have been separated, and a judicial system similar to those of Western countries has .

In other Middle Eastern and Asian countries that have independence since World War II, notably Sri Lanka, India, and Israel, the courts also operate to those of the West, that is, as relatively independent within a parliamentary .

In Communist countries, the judicial system was usually patterned after that of the USSR, which included a of courts culminating in a supreme court. In the former Yugoslavia, however, all judges, even those of the highest tribunals, were elected, not appointed.