Supreme Courts around the world, part 4

ISRAEL: The Supreme Court includes a chief justice (Dorit Beinisch is the first woman to ever serve in the role) and 14 other judges, all selected by a committee of Cabinet ministers, lawmakers, judges and lawyers, officially appointed by the ceremonial Israeli president and forced to retire at 70. Important decisions include a ruling that Israel's West Bank barrier is legal but must be repositioned to reduce harm to Palestinians, recognizing some non-Orthodox Jewish conversions and promoting equal opportunities for woman in the military.

INDIA: The Supreme Court has a chief justice and 25 other judges who are chosen by a collegium of senior Supreme Court judges. The collegium's recommendations need to be formally approved by President of India who almost always signs off on their appointments. The longest-serving Supreme Court judge is generally made the chief justice. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a petition seeking to annul a recent lower court decision decriminalizing gay sex.
 
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa does have a 22-member Supreme Court of Appeal — but the highest court in the land is the 11-member Constitutional Court. Appointments to both are made by the president on the advice of the Judicial Services Commission. The members of the Judicial Service Commission have just been replaced and there are concerns that the new members have been chosen for being more sympathetic to President Jacob Zuma and his supporters.

JAPAN: The nation's highest court, the Supreme Court, is composed of the Chief Justice and 14 justices, who are appointed by the Cabinet and confirmed by the Emperor. Arguments and adjudications are made by the 15-panel Grand Bench or one of three sets of 5-member Petty Benches.
Recent key decisions include the June, 2008, ruling that declared unconstitutional a law denying citizenship to children with Japanese fathers and foreign mothers who did not marry, and the October, 2006, decision recognizing the intellectual property rights of employees who invent products.

-Compiled by Dan Perry, AP's Europe-Africa editor, from London with contributions from AP reporters around the world