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Task 2. Read, translate the text and write down all the unknown
words and expressions.

The Constitution as Supreme Law
The Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the
various states are the fundamental written law in those countries. The
federal law must not violate the U.S. Constitution. All state laws must
conform to or be in harmony with the federal Constitution as well as with
the constitution of the state.
The U.S. Constitution is the basic document that gives authority to
criminal justice agencies. It also sets the outer limits to their efforts,
making sure that the system of crime control fits the form of government.
All of the provisions of the Constitution apply to criminal control, though
a number of amendments are system-specific. For instance, the Fourth
Amendment prohibits illegal searches and seizures of evidence; the Fifth
prevents selfincrimination during questioning; the Sixth guarantees the
rights to jury trial; the Eighth provides for reasonable bail and prohibits
cruel and unusual punishment; and the Fourteenth prevents from depriving
anyone of liberty without due process of law.
Two very important principles of constitutional law are basic to the
American judicial system. They are closely related to each other and
known as the doctrine of separation of powers and the doctrine of judicial
review.
The doctrine of separation of powers results from the fact that both
state and federal constitutions provide for a scheme of government
consisting of three branches — the legislative, the executive and the
judicial. Separation of powers ascribes to each branch, a separate function
and a check and balance of the functions of the other branches. The
doctrine of separation of powers infers that each separate branch will not
perform the function of the other and that each branch is summarized as
follows: the Senate retains the power to approve key executive and
judicial appointments. The legislative branch exercises control through its
powers to appropriate funds.
In addition, Congress can limit or expand the authority of the
executive branch or the jurisdiction of the judicial branch in most cases.
The executive has the powers to appoint judges (in some states; the
judiciary is elected). The judiciary has the powers to review actions of the

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