maakohus
Maakohus (Estonian for "county court") is a court of first instance in the Estonian judiciary. The maakohus handles civil and criminal cases and administers certain matters of family law, juvenile justice, estate administration, and other non-criminal matters within its territorial jurisdiction. Each maakohus operates within the national court system, providing oral hearings, written judgments, and case management in accordance with Estonian law. Decisions issued by a maakohus can be appealed to the Ringkonnakohus (Court of Appeal), and further review may be possible before the Riigikohus (Supreme Court) under specified conditions.
Composition: A maakohus is typically presided over by one judge, though some proceedings may be conducted by
History and context: The maakohus system dates to Estonia's post-Soviet judicial reforms and forms part of a