Depending on the system, certain courts may serve as both trial courts and appellate courts, hearing appeals of decisions made by courts with more limited jurisdiction.

The second principle – as you said – is that there should be mutual recognition of and mutual trust in the decisions made by courts in each individual country.

For left-behind parents seeking the return of their children, one of the biggest sources of frustration is that courts in many other countries do not take into account the prior decisions made by courts in the United States.

With specific reference to decisions made by courts in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and South Africa, she pointed out that "every comparable overseas jurisdiction has had a blanket ban (against prisoners' voting) struck down in the last 10 years".

The officer is appointed by a magistrate of the court (or in France, by the Minister of Justice), and holds the monopoly right to serve and execute the decisions made by courts and enforceable instruments, as well as formally bear witness to events (constat d'huissier).