ABSTRACT
If one of Indonesia’s state branches has been in constant flux before and after independence, it is the judiciary. The struggle of the colonial administration to ensure ‘peace and order’ and to respond to the demands for an administration of justice on the basis of the rule of law required an ongoing expansion of the state court system. The condition of the colonial coffers and the lack of qualified personnel available, however, slowed down this process and indigenous, customary courts continued to play an important role.
