Court System Of England & Wales Flashcards
name 5 courts of England & Wales?
UK Supreme Court Court of Appeal High Court Crown Court Magistrate, County & Family Court
how many courts in England & Wales?
600+
superior courts?
hear most important, higher value cases
supreme courts?
hear cases from across UK
senior courts
same as superior without supreme
county, magistrate & coroners court
are inferior courts ( limited jurisdiction rather than general)
criminal case examples
speeding theft fraud rape murder
civil case examples
personal injury
property
family cases
admiralty
indictable offences
rape
murder
robbery
summary cases
motoring offences
minore criminal damages
work of court of England & Wales
- 200+ magistrate courts
- magistrate deal with most criminal cases
- have lay people ( not legally qualified)
- no jury in magistrate
either way offences
heard in crown or magistrate- theft & fraud
coroners court
- investigate deaths
- determine who deceased was
- holds inquest if death is unexplained
- held in court
- where & when deceased died
- witness called by coroner
crown court
- a dedicated criminal court
- 70+ courts
- 12 Jurys that decide verdict
- judge decides sentence
- handles indictable only offences, appeals from magistrate
county court
- 8 jury members
- 150+ courts
- only hear civil cases
- type of cases (wrong imprisonment, alleging fraud, defamation)
- role (decides liability)
- sues in small claims
family court
- handle parental dispute over child, divorce, adoption,abuse
- family matters dealt whin family division of high court by district judges in county court
- two types of case concerning kid (public&private)
- public by local authority (care order)
- private by individuals in connection with parents separation (parental responsibility order)
high court
- 3 division;
1. chancery
2. family
3. the queens bench - created in 1873
chancery division
- persided by chancellor
- supported by 19 other high court division
- assisted by deputy high court judges
- looks at disputes related to business, trade, properties, will etc
family division
- jurisdiction in family matters, matrimony, legitimacy, proceedings under children act 1989
- 2 high court judges
- hears appeals from magistrate & county court in family matters against financial provision under DPMCA 1978 (Domestic Proceeding Magistrate Court Act)
the queens bench
- hears action in contract & tort
- 3 courts attached: commercial, admirality&technology, technology&construction
- hear actions relating to judicial review
- acts as appellate court on criminal matters for magistrate
- crown court has 71 judges
court of appeal
- 2 divisions (criminal&civil) hears from crown+high court
- criminal devision presided by lord Chief Justice of England
- civil division presided by masters of rolls
- court sits as panel of 3 judges
- 1 court in London
Supreme Court
- highest court in land (ultimate appeal court)
- created by constitutional reform act 2005
- replaced H.O.L as final UK court of appeal due to overlap with legislature&judiciary not allowing separation of power
- 13 judges of Supreme Court (min 3 members each panel
- more significant the case the larger the panel
- 1 Supreme Court in London
appeals
- when court makes error appeal system corrects it
- majority of appeals are to next court upwards in hierarchy
- rare case causes next court to be by-passed under leapfrog procedure
privy council
judicial committee hears appeal from commonwealth countries
