The Court of Justice of the European Union is the judicial authority of the European Union, tasked with ensuring the uniform application and interpretation of European Union law. The Court of Justice of the European Union is divided into two courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court. The Court sits in Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.
Despite its original economic objective, the European Union has evolved and is now fully committed to the protection of human rights. This objective is underlined in one of its founding treaties. Moreover, the European Union adopted and gave binding force, in 2009, to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. In addition to the Charter, fundamental rights are also protected as general principles of European Union law.
When applicable, European Union law prevails over domestic law, even if the domestic law in question is of constitutional value. As such, rights covered by European Union law may be protected by both a domestic judge and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The domestic judge remains the first judge when European Union law is involved because of the principles of primacy and direct effect. However, individuals may seek specific recourse from the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Finally, it should be borne in mind that the Court of Justice of the European Union only deals with matters related to European Union law. As a consequence, you may not invoke or contest a piece of internal legislation that is not related to European Union law.