Conseil d'État

In France, the Council of State is a governmental body that acts both as legal adviser of the executive branch and as the supreme court for administrative justice. Established in 1799 by Napoleon as a successor to the King's Council, it is located in the Palais-Royal in Paris and is primarily made up of top-level legal officers. The Vice President of the Council of State ranks as the ninth most important civil servant in France.

Members of the Council of State are part of a Grand Corps of the French State. The Council of State mainly recruits from among the top-ranking students graduating from the École nationale d'administration.