The judicial branch consisted of the Supreme Court and the lower Regional Courts.

As the leader of the Senate and the overall representative of the Republic, the Chancellor also held the titles Head of State and President. The Supreme Chancellor was elected from the ranks of the Senate by its members. The Office of the Supreme Chancellor was the Senate's executive counterpart. Its main duties included mediating disputes over issues ranging from planetary to galactic-scale, regulating trade routes between star systems, and in theory, represented the interests of Republic citizens. The first was the Galactic Senate, a body of elected or appointed representatives.

Its central government consisted of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The Galactic Republic was a representative democracy, composed of various star systems, sectors and member worlds throughout most of the known galaxy. At times, the term Old Order was used to describe the Republic. In the post-Republic era and beyond, it was remembered as the Old Republic it was also rarely known as the First Galactic Republic. Throughout its existence, the state was commonly known as the Republic. The Galactic Republic was the ruling government of the galaxy that existed for more than 25 thousand years, until the establishment of the first Galactic Empire in 19 BBY.