Court systems of uk and usa

Pre-reading activity.

1. How is the federal court system structured?

2. How are most state court systems structured?

Scan this text.

Courts in great britain

Magistrates’ courts are the first place that a person will appear if accused of a crime in Great Britain. They are local courts held in all large towns. Some magistrates are qualified lawyers who sit in court alone, others (known as Justices of the Peace) are ordinary people chosen as being reliable and trustworthy in the community. They usually sit in groups of three with a legally qualified clerk to advise them on the law. Like all judges in Great Britain, magistrates are appointed by the Lord Chancellor, the highest legal officer.

Magistrates hear minor criminal cases and some more serious ones if the accused person agrees to be tried by them.

Crown Courts are higher courts which hear more serious cases where there is a right to be tried by a jury. The country is divided up into several areas known as “circuits” and judges, known as circuit judges, are appointed for each one. However serious cases, such as murder, must be tried by a judge from the High Court who sometimes sits in the Crown Court. The Crown Court also hears appeals from the magistrates’ courts in criminal cases.

The Court of Appeal is the higher part of the Supreme Court. It consists of senior judges called Lord Justices of Appeal, and usually three sit together. They can acquit the accused of the crime, order a retrial, or alter a sentence.

House of Lords. If the accused is still not satisfied and there is a point of law of general public importance, he may appeal further to the House of Lords.

County Courts are where minor civil cases are started. They are similar to Crown Courts in that they are local courts held in large towns and have the same circuit judges. Their jurisdiction is limited to local cases and where the amount of money in dispute is below a certain sum.

The High Court is where cases concerning larger sums of money are heard. It is divided into three divisions: Chancery, Queen’s Bench, and Family. The Chancery Division deals with real property, wills, companies, and trusts; the Queen’s Bench Division deals with contracts, tort, and shipping; the Family Division deals with divorce cases and the care and custody of children. High Court judges sit alone, except in certain cases of libel or slander where there may be a jury to decide the facts. The person who loses his case can appeal against a High Court decision to the Court of Appeal and then to the House of Lords.

I. Pick out the most important points about each court as in the example.

- the highest legal officer-

the highest court Lord Chancellor

House of Lords

a point of law of general public importance

II. Use your notes to speak about different courts in Great Britain.

Give the written translation of the text.