Court Hierarchy/Structure Flashcards
What is the highest court in the UK’s court system and who sits in it?
The Supreme Court (once/also called the House of Lords). Those who sit in are the Justices of the Supreme Court.
What is directly below the Supreme Court or the House of Lords? What do they hear appeals from?
The Court of Appeal, which is split into the Criminal and Civil Divisions.
The Court of Appeal hears appeals regarding both civil and criminal matters from the County Court and Crown Court, respectively.
What court is below the Court of Appeal? What are its divisions?
The High Court, which consists of three main divisions: the King’s Bench Division, the Family Division, and Chancery Division.
How many specialist courts does the KBD have? What are they?
It has eight overall.
The three principal ones are the Admiralty Court, the Commercial Court, and the Technology and Construction Court.
The other five are the Administrative Court, the Planning Court, the Circuit Commercial Court, the Financial List, and the KB Civil Lists.
How many specialist courts does the Chancery Division have?
It has two. The Companies Court and the Patents Court.
The Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal hears Appeals from what Court? Who is the President of this division?
From the Crown Court. The Lord Chief Justice heads this division.
The Civil Division hears appeals from what court? What do you call the President of this division?
The High Court, tribunals, and certain cases from county courts (depending on the complexity, size, and nature of claim). The Master of the Rolls heads this Division.
What are the lowest courts for criminal, civil, and family cases, respectively?
The Magistrates’ Court for criminal offenses (some civil matters). County Court for most civil cases. The Family Court for most family cases.
What are the employment tribunals in the court structure? What do they determine? Which countries are they limited to? Who are they sat by?
The employment tribunal and employment appeal tribunal. They determine legal disputes regarding employment law.
The employment tribunal only hears from England & Wales, and there’s a separate employment tribunal for Scotland.
The employment tribunal is sat by employment judges and members. The employment appeal tribunal is sat by employment appeal judges and members.
What are the tribunals in the system? What appeals do they hear? Who are they sat by?
The first-tier tribunal and the upper tribunal.
The first-tier hears appeals regarding tax, immigration and asylum and health, education and social care. This is sat by tribunal judges and members.
The upper hears appeals from the first-tier. This is sat by upper tribunal judges.
Which judges do you address as “My Lord/My Lady”?
Senior Judges; the Chancellor and Presidents of the Divisions of the High Court; the Courts of Appeal and High Court judges
Who do you address as “Your Honour”?
The Circuit judges
What do you call magistrates?
Your Worship, or Sir or Madam
Who do you call “Judge”?
High Court Masters and Judges (except registrars), District Judges (including those in Magistrates’ Courts), Tribunal and Employment Judges
