1. The British Judiciary

2. Revision (Units 1-3)
Write the correct form of the verbs in brackets and insert the articles (a/an, the, /) as necessary:
Before the Norman Conquest ___ law in England ___________________ (decentralise). Fear of ___ power of local barons led ___ Henry II ____________ (create) a permanent royal court in London called the King's Bench. Judges from this court would travel the country ____________ (hear) civil and criminal cases. The central court in London decided the legal issue in a case and this _______________ (would apply) to the facts in the regional courts. In this way a judge-made system of law _____________ (develop) which was common to most parts of the country.

3. Before the Norman Conquest the law in England was decentralised
Before the Norman Conquest the law in England was decentralised. Fear of the power of local barons led Henry II to create a permanent royal court in London called the King's Bench. Judges from this court would travel the country hearing civil and criminal cases. The central court in London decided the legal issue in a case and this would be applied to the facts in the regional courts. In this way a judge-made system of law was developed which was common to most parts of the country.

4. Translate the following terms into Croatian:
Rules of equity
Private acts
Coercion
Repeal
Revenue law
Customs
Adjudication
Statute law

5. Rules of equity – pravila pravičnosti
Private acts – privatni zakoni
Coercion – prisila, prinuda
Repeal - opoziv
Revenue law – financijsko pravo
Customs – običaji
Adjudication – donošenje presude
Statute law – kodificirano pravo, pisano pravo

6. Complete the following statements:
Common law means ______________________.
Public acts are ___________________________.
Law can be defined as ____________________.
Old legal rules remain a part of English law until they are expressly _________________.

7. Common law means ancient customs, judicial precedents, books of authority (enacted laws).
Public acts are directed to the community as a whole.
Law: rules of conduct imposed by a state upon its members and enforced by the courts.
Old legal rules remain a part of English law until they are expressly repealed.

8. Fill in the blanks:
voting, bill, law, monarch, legislative, acts All ________ must be submitted to both Houses of Parliament in the draft form of a _____. The __________ process involves three readings in both Houses and _______. Finally, a Bill must receive Royal Assent from the _______ before it becomes ________ on a specified date.

9. All acts must be submitted to both Houses of Parliament in the draft form of a bill. The legislative process involves three readings in both Houses and voting. Finally, a Bill must receive Royal Assent from the monarch before it becomes law on a specified date.

10. Translate the following sentence:
In English the words parliament and legislature are virtually indistinguishable, and have been so for more than 200 years, but it would be wrong to suggest that law-making is Parliament’s essential function.

11. The British Judiciary

13. The court system
Criminal courts (Magistrates’ Court, Crown Court, Court of Appeal – criminal division, The Supreme Court
Civil courts: County courts, High Court of Justice, Court of Appeal – civil division, The Supreme Court

14. The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court was established in and it replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highest court in the country
The Supreme Court was established to achieve a complete separation between the United Kingdom's senior Judges and the Upper House of Parliament, emphasising the independence of the Law Lords and increasing the transparency between Parliament and the courts.

15. The role of the Supreme Court
•is the final court of appeal for all United Kingdom civil cases, and criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland
•hears appeals on arguable points of law of general public importance
•concentrates on cases of the greatest public and constitutional importance
•maintains and develops the role of the highest court in the United Kingdom as a leader in the common law world

16. Judicial appointment
The Courts and Legal Services Act of sets out the professional qualification needed to become a judge
Since 2005 the Judicial Appointments Commission has selected the judges

17. The Judicial Appointments Commission
Set up under the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005
Consists of 15 members (lay members, judges, 1 barrister, 1 solicitor and 1 tribunal member)
Selection is based on merit
The Commission recommends to the Lord Chancellor who should be appointed

18. Inferior judges District judges (County Court, Magistrates’ Court)
Recorders (County Court and the Crown Court – part-time judges )
Circuit judges (County Court and/or Crown Court)

19. Superior judges
High Court Judges or Puisne judges (High Court) – appointed in one of the three divisions: Queen’s Bench, Chancery court, Family court
Lord Justices of Appeal (the Court of Appeal)
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (Supreme Court)

20. Training Organised by the Judicial Studies Board (JSB)
For most new judges there is a short residential course
Continuation seminars
Additional special training schemes for new areas of law

21. Removal
Superior judges have the security of tenure that dates back to the Act of Settlement of – they can only be removed by the Monarch following a petition presented by both Houses of Parliament
Inferior judges can be dismissed by Lord Chancellor for incapacity or misbehaviour

22. Protection of judicial independence
Judges have immunity from being sued for anything they do in the course of their judicial duty
Judicial salaries are paid from the Consolidated Fund so there is no need for parliamentary authorisation

23. The Lord Chancellor’s role
Appointed by the Prime Minister and can be dismissed by him/her
Involved in all three branches of the government
A member of the Cabinet, Minister of Justice (executive)
The speaker of the House of Lords (legislative)
Involved in the appointment of the judiciary

24. Recent changes
The Constitutional Reform Act of provided that the Lord Chancellor no longer needs to be a lawyer, that he/she can be a member of the House of Lords or the House of Commons
In 2007 Jack Straw became the first Lord Chancellor since the 16th century to sit in the House of Commons

25. New Lord Chancellor July 14, 2016 Elizabeth Truss
Secretary of State for Justice

26. Hierarchy of courts

27. The Supreme Court of the UK
sBo
Find the answers to the following questions:
1. Why was the Supreme Court established?
2. When was it opened?
3. Is it the highest court of appeal for all criminal cases in the UK?
4. What has changed in the work of justices?

28. Thank you!