Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights courtroom

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) consists of 17 judges of the ECtHR and is convened in exceptional cases. Its verdicts cannot be appealed.

The Grand Chamber may be convened either by referral or relinquishment. Referral is based on one of the parties appealing a ruling made by a chamber of the court, but the court only agrees to convene the Grand Chamber in exceptional cases. Relinquishment means that a chamber of the court decides not to hear the case itself but instead leaves the Grand Chamber to hear the case. Until 1 August 2021, when Protocol 15 to the European Convention on Human Rights came into effect, parties to the case had the right to object to relinquishment.

Further reading

• Bağlayan, Başak; Fahner, Johannes Hendrik (2017). "'One Can Always Do Better': The Referral Procedure before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights". Human Rights Law Review. 17 (2): 339–363. doi:10.1093/hrlr/ngx003.
• Bruinsma, Fred J. (2008). "The Room at the Top: Separate Opinions in the Grand Chambers of the ECHR (1998‐2006)". Ancilla Iuris: 32–43.
• Ó Fathaigh, Ronan (4 July 2014). "A Lesson for Applicants: Don't Agree to a Relinquishment to the Grand Chamber (S.A.S. v. France Part 2)". Strasbourg Observers. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
• Bobek, Michal (8 November 2020). "More Heads, More Reason? A Comparative Reflection on the Role of Grand Chambers at National and European Levels". In David Petrlík; Michal Bobek; Jan M.. Passer; Antoine Masson (eds.). Évolution des rapports entre les ordres juridiques de l'Union européenne, international et nationaux: liber amicorum Jiří Malenovský (in English and French). Larcier. pp. 523–550. ISBN 978-2-8027-6686-5. SSRN 3726877 – via Social Science Research Network.