The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

Module 1

READING

Before you read the text do the quiz. Don’t look in the text for answers.

1. How many separate legal systems does the United Kingdom have?

A two

B three

C four

2. The highest court in the UK is called

A the House of Lords.

B the Supreme Court.

C the High Court.

3. How many judges are there in the Court of Appeal?

A five

B twelve

C forty

4. How many people sit on a jury in an English court?

A six

B ten

C twelve

5. What cases does the Crown Court deal with?

A civil

B criminal

C both civil and criminal

6. A teenager stole a wallet and a mobile phone from another boy at school. In which court will his case be tried?

	A High Court	B magistrates’ court	C youth court
	Now read the text quickly to check your answers in 1.

The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system – England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. The UK Supreme Court, in most cases, sits above all three of the UK judicial systems.

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

The UK Supreme Court is situated in the Middlesex Guildhall on Parliament Square, Westminster.

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom was established by the Constitutional Reform Act (2005). It started work on 1 October 2009. It has taken over the judicial functions of the House of Lords, which were previously exercised by twelve Law Lords, who became the first Supreme Court Justices. All new judges appointed to the Supreme Court after its creation will not be members of the House of Lords. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort (the highest appellate court) in all matters under English law, Welsh law and Northern Irish law and in civil cases in Scotland.

Badge of the Supreme Court, featuring the symbols for both Omega (representing finality) and Libra (symbolising the scales of justice); in addition to the four floral emblems of the United Kingdom - a Tudor Rose, Flax, Thistle and Leek.

The Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal deals only with appeals from other courts. It normally sits in up to 12 courts in the Royal Courts of Justice. The court consists of two divisions: the Civil Division hears appeals from the High Court and county courts, while the Criminal Division hears appeals from the Crown Court. Its decisions are binding on all courts except for the Supreme Court. The Master of the Rolls is the President of the Civil Division and the Lord Chief Justice is the President of the Criminal Division. There are 38 other regular judges of the Court of Appeal whose title is Lord/Lady Justice. They usually sit in panels of three judges.

The High Court (of Justice)

The High Court is a civil court and has the authority to hear any civil case in England and Wales. It is divided into three divisions: the Queen's Bench Division, the Chancery Division, and the Family Division.

The Royal Court of Justice building accommodates both the Court of Appeal and the High Court.

The Queen's Bench Division (QBD) is headed by the Lord Chief Justice, and has nearly 70 judges. It hears contract and tort cases where the claimant is seeking damages above £5000. A judge usually sits alone, but a jury of 12 may be employed to hear certain cases such as fraud, slander or false imprisonment.

The Chancery Division is headed by the Lord Chancellor and has about 17 judges. Disputes concerning insolvency, mortgages, copyright and patents, intellectual property matters are referred to this court. Cases are heard by a single judge and juries are never used.

The Family Division is headed by the President of the Family Division, and has about 17 judges. It hears cases concerning adoption and care of children, divorce and other matters concerning the family. It consists of a single judge and never uses a jury.

The Crown Court

The Crown Court deals with more serious criminal cases such as murder, rape or robbery. The Crown Court is based at 77 centres across England and Wales[1].

The most famous Crown Court is 'The Old Bailey' in London, otherwise known as the Central Criminal Court

Trials are heard by a Judge and a 12- person jury. The Crown Court holds trial by jury for the most serious crimes and only if the defendant pleads not guilty. When there is a jury, the judge's role is limited to deciding matters of law and summing up for the jury. The jury decides whether the accused is guilty or not, by looking at the facts that have been established.

The Crown Court tries cases transferred from the magistrates' courts. It also hears appeals against decisions of magistrates' courts and deals with cases sent for sentence from magistrates' courts.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30