Constitutional Court judges are appointed by the President to a single, seven-year term. District courts are courts of first instance in most criminal cases and minor civil cases. Regional courts are courts of appeal, but also of first instance in major criminal and civil cases. The Supreme Court in Bratislava is the court of final review except for constitutional cases, which are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court in Kosice. Property and contractual rights are enforced within the legal structure, but decisions may take years, thus limiting the attractiveness of the system for dispute resolution.
Slovak courts recognize and enforce foreign judgments, subject to the same delays.
The Commercial Code seems con- sistently applied. A bankruptcy law exists but is not very effective. A number of bankruptcy cases have been filed, but few have been resolved. The law discriminates against foreign creditors, and operates on the principle of one vote per creditor, regardless of the size of claim. Requirements for debtor-initiated bankruptcies are unrealistic.