 |
The System of Courts in Great Britain
|
|
|
|
Pre-reading task: Read the text and answer the following questions:
1. Which courts try major criminal cases?
2. When was the Supreme Court of the UK formed?
3. What was the highest court of the UK before 2009?
The structure of the court system in Britain is many-layered. The courts in Great Britain are divided into two large groups: criminal courts and civil courts. Besides, there are many special tribunals – independent judicial bodies - set up by Parliament.
Criminal courts are Magistrates' Courts and Crown Courts. Magistrates' Courts are the courts of first instance. Cases involving minor offences begin and end there. Cases involving more serious offences normally start in Magistrates' Courts before being referred to higher courts - Crown Courts - for trial. Crown Courts try serious cases such as murder, rape, arson, armed robbery, fraud, and so on.
Civil courts include county courts as the courts of first instance, and the High Court as a higher court. Jurisdiction of county courts is now statutorily unlimited, and the number of cases tried at this level is vast.
The High Court of Justice consists of three separate subdivisions: the Queen's Bench Division, the Chancery Division and the Family Division. They are independent of each other and deal with different cases, both criminal and civil.
Appeals against decisions of the High Court and the Crown Court may be taken to the Court of Appeal with its Criminal and Civil divisions.
The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 established the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to replace the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. The main reason for the establishment of this court is to separate legislative and judicial powers in the country. The Supreme Court took over the judicial functions of the House of Lords and started to operate in October 2009.
Notes:
Crown Court - суд короны (суд по уголовным делам)
High Court of Justice - Высокий Суд правосудия
Queen's Bench Division - Отделение королевской скамьи Высокого Суда правосудия (рассматривает важнейшие уголовные дела и некоторые категории гражданских дел)
Chancery Division - Канцлерское отделение Высокого Суда правосудия (рассматривает гражданские дела)
Family Division - Отделение Высокого Суда правосудия по семейным делам, разводам и завещаниям
Court of Appeal - Апелляционный суд
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary - лорды-судьи, судебные лорды; члены палаты лордов, назначаемые для рассмотрения апелляций.
Exercise 14
Match each word or phrase on the left to the Russian equivalent on the right:
| 1.tribunal | a. незначительное правонарушение |
| 2. minor offence | b. убийство |
| 3. county court | c. поджог |
| 4. murder | d. изнасилование |
| 5. rape | e.суд; трибунал; суд специальной юрисдикции |
| 6.arson | f. вооруженный разбой |
| 7. armed robbery | g. суд графства |
|
|
|
Exercise 15
Match each word or phrase on the left to the correct definition on the right:
| 1. criminal court | a) a court that handles non-criminal legal matters |
| 2. civil court | b) a court of summary jurisdiction held before two or more justices of the peace |
| 3. court of first instance | c) the lowest civil tribunal, having limited jurisdiction, mostly for the recovery of small debts |
| 4. Magistrates' Court | d) a court of criminal jurisdiction holding sessions in towns throughout England and Wales |
| 5. tribunal | e) includes the Chancery, Family, and King's Bench or Queen's Bench Divisions |
| 6. county court | f) the final court of appeal in the UK for civil cases, which also hears appeals in criminal cases from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. |
| 7. Crown Court | g) a body established to settle certain types of dispute |
| 8. High Court of Justice | h) a court to which appeals are made on points of law resulting from the judgment of a lower court |
| 9. Court of Appeal | i) a court having jurisdiction over criminal cases |
| 10. Supreme Court | j) a court in which legal proceedings are begun or first heard |
Exercise 16
A) Match the words to make word combinations
| 1. to try | a) subdivisions |
| 2. to consist of | b) criminal cases |
| 3. to deal with | c) The Supreme court |
| 4. to take | d) powers |
| 5. to establish | e) a case |
| 6. to separate | f) appeals |
B) Fill in the gaps with the suitable word-combinations
1. Crown Courts ….such as murder, rape, arson, armed robbery, fraud, and so on.
2. Magistrate courts ……..minor offences.
3. The High Court of Justice ……three separate subdivisions: the Queen's Bench Division, the Chancery Divisionand the Family Division.
4. The main reason for the establishment of this court is …..in the country.
5. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 ……..of the United Kingdom.
Exercise 17
Complete the sentences.
Model: The structure of the court system in Britain is ….
e.g. The structure of the court system in Britain is many-layered.
- The courts in Great Britain are divided …
- The tribunals are …
- Criminal courts are …
- Civil courts include …
- The highest court in the country is …
- According to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 …
Exercise 18
Speaking. Ask your friend some questions on judicial system of Great Britain.
Exercise 19
Writing. Make the summary of the text 2. Use these phrases:
| I’ll give a review of the text. The title of the article is … The text is devoted to … At the beginning of the text … The text says (describes, underlines, stresses) that … The text goes on to say … It is interesting to note … At the end of the article … In conclusion the author writes … |
Exercise 20
Grammar focus 1. Past perfect tense. Revision.
| I, we, they, you he, she, it | had+ | Participle 2 gone seen finished |
A) Complete the sentences, using the verb in brackets.
|
|
|
Model: I was very excited about visiting London because I (be) had never been there before.
a. The little boy couldn ’t wait to get to the sea. (see) He_______________________ before.
b. The lecturer was late that morning. The class didn’t know what to think, (be/late) He__________________________________________________________.
c. It was Miss Kelly’s first day at court. She was very nervous because she (testify)________ before.
B) Use the Past Perfect Tense of the verbs given in brackets to complete the sentences.
Model: When John and I got to the river, the boat race (start already) had already started.
1. She felt tired because she (walk a lot/that day)______________________
2. She went for a holiday after she (pass the exams) ___________________
3. I didn’t know what to do when they (show/me/the photo of the suspect)____________
4. He didn’t start speaking until the witnesses (leave/the room)______________
5. When I met Helen, I understood why Bill (marry her)__________________
Exercise 21
Grammar focus 2. Future perfect tense.
| I, we | Shall + | Have+ | Participle 2 gone done translated |
| they, you he, she, it | Will+ |
Turn the following into the Future Perfect.
Model: I had done my homework by 9 о 'clock. I shall have done my homework by 9 о 'clock.
1. They had built the new school by the first of September. ___________________________.
2. The teacher had looked through our exercise-books by that time. _____________________.
3. We had discussed the report by four o'clock in the afternoon. __________________________.
4. The students had read three English books by the end of the year. _________________________.
5. I had written the composition by 9 o'clock. ____________________________.
Exercise 22
|
|
|
