I. Translate these sentences from Russian into English paying attention to the Passive voice.

1. First the printers of the paper were arrested on the orders of the King and then Wilkes himself.

2. A writ of habeas corpus was immediately issued by the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Sir Charles Pratt, to have Wilkes brought before the court.

3. Wilkes was tried in his absence and outlawed.

4. To this day, when judges are appointed they must swear an oath to ‘do right to all manner of persons without fear or favor, affection or ill will’.

5. Cases in which this royal promise was broken abound, with a succession of Kings and Queens influencing the outcome of State Trials (cases said to involve the security of the State) with the spoken and unspoken threat of terror.

6. Nevertheless, he was still charged with corruption, for he had received gifts knowing that they were being given corruptly.

7. N. was tried by his fellow peers in Parliament (since the Magna Carta laid down that a man must be tried by his equals, it followed that a peer had to be tried by other peers – a privilege given to peers right up to the twentieth century, when it was abolished).

8. Everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law.

9. N. applied for his release from detention on the grounds that as a former Head of State he was immune from prosecution for things which he was alleged to have done in that capacity.

10. Justice may have been done but it had not been ‘seen to be done’ – the links between the Judge and Amnesty International ‘were so strong that public confidence in the administration of justice would be shaken’ if they had not overturned the ruling.

11. P. is said to have excused this wicked deed with the words ‘Fiat justicia, ruat coelum’.

Speaking

Exercises

I. Say whether the following statements are true or false. Explain why.

1. The UK legal system has flourished with the support of the written constitution.

2. Since the medieval times the source of law and order has been the judiciary.

3. Over the years there have been no judges who have stood up to the power of the throne or the State and acted independently.

4. The decision of the judges of the Court of Appeal cannot be reversed.

5. Not only the judges have the awesome power to take away a man’s liberty by sending him to prison, the police also have the right to enforce the law and arrest anyone suspected of breaking it.

II. Answer the questions about the text.

1. What is the fundamental idea of justice?

2. What are the judges as a whole called and what is one of their most important characteristics?

3. What notable examples of judges who have stood up to the power of the throne can you give?

4. What case is considered a milestone in establishing the right of free speech?

“The Case of John Wilkes”

1. Why were the printers and Wilkes arrested?

2. What did Sir Charley Pratt order?

3. Why did Wilkes become a popular hero?

4. What happened to his property after he fled the country?

5. Why was he finally imprisoned?

6. Who and why reversed the sentence outlawry?

7. Why is justice portrayed as blind?

8. When and what do judges swear an oath to do?

9. What position must judges never allow themselves to be put in?

The Prosecution of Francis Bacon

1. How was Francis Bacon reputed?

2. What was he charged with?

3. Who was he tried by and what was he ordered to do?

4. Why did he try to climb into favour after he was released from prison?

5. Find in the text & comment on his saying “I was the justest judge…”

6. What are “musts” for a judge when trying a case?

7. What principle is stated both by Lord Chief Justice Hewart and in the European Convention on Human Rights? The Case of General Pinochet

1. What warrant did the Spanish authorities apply for and on what charges?

2. On what grounds did General Pinochet apply for his release from detention?

3. Who was the case tried by and why was the ruling set aside and the case heard afresh?

4. What courts may guarantee the correct application of the law if a legal system goes wrong?

Piso’s Justice

1. Who was Piso and what Latin saying is he famous for?

2. What is the modern meaning of this statement?

3. What powers do Parliament and the police have?