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7. to protect the Supreme Court from routine cases;
8. to settle routine cases;
9. where no constitutional question is at stake;
10. to handle both civil and criminal cases;
11. the bulk of individual work;
12. to hold somebody for trial in a higher court.
Task 4. Read, translate and discuss the text with your partner.
English Courts
In all legal systems there are institutions for creating, modifying,
abolishing and applying the law. Usually these take the form of a
hierarchy of courts and its capacity to make decisions is strictly defined in
relation to other courts.
There are two main reasons for having a variety of courts. One is
that a particular court can specialize in particular kinds of legal actions -
for example, family courts and juvenile courts. The other is so that a
person who feels his case was not fairly treated in a lower court can appeal
to a higher court for reassessment (although the right of appeal usually
depends upon the appellant being able to show certain reasons for his
dissatisfaction). The decisions of a higher court are binding upon lower
courts. At the top of the hierarchy is a supreme lawmaking body, but the
process of taking an action from a lower court to the highest court may be
very costly and time-consuming.
In general, the division between civil and criminal law is reflected
in this system. The Crown Courts, for example, deal exclusively with
criminal matters, the County Courts - with civil. However, the Queen's
Bench Division of the High Court considers appeals from lower criminal
courts, as well as civil matters, and the Magistrates Courts, while mostly
concerned with criminal cases, also deal with some civil matters. The
highest court, the House of Lords, deals with all matters (including
appeals from Scottish and Northern Irish courts).
A criminal case usually begins in a Magistrates Court. Having
arrested someone suspected of committing a crime, the police decide if
they have enough evidence to make a formal accusation, or charge. If they
charge the suspect, they may release him on the condition that he appears
on a certain date at a certain Magistrates Court. This is known as
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