Unit 4 courts

Law is also made by courts. This law is called case law or common law. There are two types of courts in the United States: trial and appeals.

Trial courts listen to testimony, consider evidence and decide the facts in disputed situations. Once a trial court has made a decision, the losing party may be able to appeal the decision to an appellate court.

In an appeals court, one party presents arguments asking the court to change the decision of a trial court. The other party presents arguments supporting the decision of the trial court. Not everyone who loses a trial can appeal. Usually an appeal is possible only when there is a claim that the trial court has committed an error of law. An error of law occurs when the judge makes a mistake as to the law applicable in the case (e.g. gives the wrong instructions to the jury or permits evidence that should not have been allowed).

When an appeals court decides a case, it will issue a written opinion or ruling. This opinion sets a precedent for similar cases in the future. When an appellate court rules on a matter, all lower courts in the place where the decision is made must follow the precedent set in the opinion. This is what is meant by courts «making law». However, a higher court or a court in another area can disagree with this precedent. The most important precedents are those established by the U.S. Supreme Court, where nine justices hear each case and a majority rules. All courts in the United States must follow the U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

The Supreme Court does not consider all appeals that are brought to it. Instead it rules on only the most important cases. Of more than four thousand cases appealed to the Supreme Court each year, the justices rule on about two hundred. Many laws have been changed by the Supreme Court.

Recognition vocabulary

verbs	nouns	adjectives
appeal - апеллировать, обращаться consider - рассматривать dispute - спорить, дискутировать present - представлять support - поддерживать commit - совершать occur - происходить permit, allow - разрешать, позволять rule (on) - постановить disagree with - не соглашаться issue - издавать, выпускать follow - соблюдать, следовать establish - устанавливать mean - означать decide - решать, принимать решение	trial - суд, судебное разбирательство appeal - апелляция, просьба testimony - свидетельские показания evidence - улики, свидетельские показания decision - решение party - сторона (дела) arguments - аргументы claim - иск error - ошибка case - судебное дело, случай jury - присяжные заседатели opinion - мнение ruling - судебное решение, постановление precedent - прецедент matter - дело justice - юстиция, правосудие, судья majority - большинство area - район		common - обычный, общий disputed - спорный losing - проигравший appellate - апелляционный applicable - применимый similar - подобный low - низкий possible - возможный