Republic of Austria in the context of "Municipality (Austria)"

From 976 until 1246, the Margraviate of Austria and its successor, the Duchy of Austria, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, those states were part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1246 until 1918, the duchy and its successor, the Archduchy of Austria, was ruled by the House of Habsburg. Following the defeat and dissolution of Austria-Hungary in World War I, the titles were abolished or fell into abeyance with the establishment of the modern Republic of Austria.

The judiciary of Austria (German: österreischische Judikative) is the system of courts, prosecution and correction of the Republic of Austria as well as the branch of government responsible for upholding the rule of law and administering justice. The judiciary is independent of the other two branches of government and is committed to guaranteeing fair trials and equality before the law. It has broad and effective powers of judicial review.

Structurally, the Austrian judiciary is divided into general courts (ordentliche Gerichte) and courts of public law (Gerichte öffentlichen Rechts).The general courts handle civil and criminal trials as well as non-adversary proceedings such as inheritance cases or legal guardianship matters.The courts of public law supervise the other two branches of government: the administrative court system reviews the legality of administrative acts; the Constitutional Court adjudicates on complaints regarding the constitutionality of statutes, the legality of ordinances, and the conduct of elected officials and political appointees in office.