Organisation of the UK Judiciary Flashcards
What does the term ‘judiciary’ refer to?
it is a collective noun referring to all UK judges from lay magistrates up to to the Justices of the UKSC
What is the job of Judges at all levels?
to ensure that justice is done and the law is applied fairly. This is often done by the Supreme court through judicial review.
At the lower levels of the judiciary, what are the 3 main roles of judges?
to preside over trials, give guidance to the jury and impose sentences
At the Court of Appeal and in the Supreme Court, what are judges concerned with?
concerned with clarifying the meaning of the law rather than just applying it and set precedent
What are cases heard by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court usually a result from?
result from confusion in lower courts regarding the meaning of law
What Act do the higher courts usually hear major cases on?
HRA 1998 (Human Rights Act)
What is civil law concerned with?
Civil law is concerned with interrelationships between different individuals and groups (e.g. divorce, when person sues another)
Which 3 courts deal with civil cases?
1) County Courts
2) High Court
3) Court of appeal
What civil cases do the County Courts deal with? (3)
They deal with small-scale civil cases such as
- disputes over contracts
- wills
- many divorce cases
What does criminal law deal with?
This deals with crimes by an individual or group against the state
What are the 3 courts with deal with criminal cases?
1) Magistrates’ Courts
2) Crown Courts
3) Court of Appeal
How many Law Lords moved to become the first justices of the new UKSC?
11 of the 12
What were the 4 roles that the new UKSC took on which were previously performed by the Law Lords?
- act as the final court of appeal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- hear appeals on issues of public importance surrounding arguable points of law
- hear appeals from civil cases in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
- hear appeals from criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Which role did the new UKSC take on previously preformed by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council?
resolving disputes between the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the UK Parliament
What was a main benefit of the new UKSC?
a separation of powers
