As the highest court in their respective hierarchies, both courts play a significant role in the judiciary as they are empowered under their Constitutions to settle matters that are of constitutional importance as well as to settle disputes of civil or criminal matters objectively. Thus, these courts are capable of performing all three roles due to their wide jurisdiction to hear any case brought before them.
However, the bulk of cases are dealt by the lower courts who apply precedents in deciding cases. Appeals on questions of law goes up to the Court of Appeal, while the Federal Court or Supreme Court will deal with mostly matters of constitutional importance or exceptional circumstances. Some parallel courts run alongside the civil court system, such as the Syariah courts which exist in both countries to hear disputes on Muslim rights for marriage, succession, inheritance, and divorce based on Islamic