The Republic of Mauritius acquired its autonomy from Great Britain in 1968 and became a republic in 1992, however Mauritius remains a member of the Commonwealth.

Due to its colonial roots, Mauritius acquired a unique legal structure that is a hybrid based system combining the French Napoleonic Code, with civil and criminal court proceedings modelled on British practice. This system resulted from the British concession to leave the French laws intact when they took possession of the island, but as English judges preferred to use the English court procedures with which they were more familiar, over time, English laws gradually grafted themselves onto French laws, and superseded some.

Mauritius now has a single-structured judicial system that is composed of the highest court on the island, the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts. The head of the judiciary is the Chief Justice, with the Constitution of Mauritius the supreme legal document of the country. Final appeals of decisions from the Court of Appeal of Mauritius can be made to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London which is provided for under the Constitution of Mauritius.