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DoYouKnow?FocusIn1GetReady-mainDoYouKnow?1.1Whatsignificancedoestheeventshowninthevideohave?DoYouKnow?1.1-videoII■•UnderstandthebasicprinciplesoftheBritishlegalsystem•GettoknowsomespecialfeaturesoftheBritishjudicialsystem•BefamiliarwiththeBritishcourtsystem•HaveageneralideaofthejudicialproceedingsinBritain•GetacquaintedwiththelegalprofessionsinBritainFocusIn1.2Whatarethesourcesoflaw?2text-mainHowtoenforcelawandorder?Whoareprofessionalsinlaw?Whataretheprinciplesoftheruleoflaw?Whataretheprinciplesofthejudicialproceedings?Howdoesthecourtsystemfunction?•Everyoneisboundbythelaw.•Allpersonsareequalbeforethelaw.•Lawandordermustbemaintainedthroughtheofficialsandinstitutionsofthestate.•Legalredressisprovidedforcitizenswhentheyfeeltheyhaveexperiencedinjustice.•Thelawandlegalprocessesandpersonnelshouldbeindependentfrompoliticalinterference.2.1Whataretheprinciplesoftheruleoflaw?StatueofJustice2.2Whatarethesourcesoflaw?ThelawoftheUnitedKingdomconsistsofseveralindependentlegalsystems,whichusecommonlawprinciples,civillawprinciples,orboth.EnglandandWalesaswellasNorthernIrelandusethecommonlawsystem,whileScotlandusesahybridsystem,whichcombineselementsfromthecommonlawandthecivillawsystem.MagnaCarta2.1LawinEnglishandWelshThethreemainsourcesofEnglishandWelshlawarethestatutelaw,commonlawandEuropeanUnionlaw.(1)Statutes,namely,formalwrittenlawsthatarepassedbytheWestminsterorScottishParliaments,aretheultimatesourceofBritishlaw,whichshowstheinfluenceofthestateincitizens’lives.(2)Commonlawisanothermajorsourceoflaw,developedoverthecenturiesthroughcourtdecisionsinpreviouslegalcases,calledprecedents.Ithasevolvedasitincorporateslegaldecisionsmadeinspecificcases,anditremainsthebasisofBritishlawexceptwhensupersededbylegislation.(3)EuropeanUnionlawbecamepartofBritishlawwhentheUKenteredtheEuropeanEconomicCommunityin1973.Itisconfinedmainlytoeconomicandsocialmatters.Incertaincircumstances,EUlawtakesprecedenceoverBritishdomesticlawsuchasActsofParliament;BritishcourtsareobligedtoapplyEUlawincaseswherethetwoconflict.2.1LawinEnglishandWelsh2.1LawinScotlandThemainsourcesoflawinScotlandarethecommonlawofScotlandandlegislationenactedbytheUKorScottishParliament,andEUlaw.LegislationconsistsofrelevantWestminsterActsandScotlandParliamentActsondevolvedmattersinScotland.LawinNorthernIreland2.1InadditiontoUKstatutesaffectingNorthernIreland,theNorthernIrelandAssemblyhashadlegislativeandexecutiveauthorityforalldevolvedmattersfrom2000andcanthereforemakelawsinNorthernIreland.Howdoesthecourtsystemfunction?2.3Withindifferentjudicialsystems,EnglandandWaleshaveonecourtsystem,beingtheprincipaloneinthecountry.ScotlandandNorthernIrelandhavetheirownsystems,respectively.Theprincipalcourtsystemisdividedintocriminalandcivilcourtsatvariouslevelscorrespondingwithtwokindsoflegalproceedings,criminalandcivil.2.3CourtsysteminEnglandandWalesPettyoffences(calledsummaryoffences)areheardinlocalmagistrates’courtseitherbyapaneloflaymagistrates(calledJusticesofthePeace,orJPs)assistedbyalegallytrainedclerk,orbyafull-time,stipendiarymagistrate.Moreseriousoffences(calledindictable-onlyoffences)arepassedonbythemagistrates’courtstotheCrownCourttobeheard,usuallybyajudgeandjuryofcitizensrandomlypickedfromthelocalelectoralregister.ConvictionsandsentencesfromtheCrownCourtmaybetakentotheCourtofAppealsfortheCriminalDivision.ThefinalcourtofappealsistheSupremeCourt.2.3Civilcasesareheardincountycourtsbeforeasinglejudge.AbovethecountycourtsistheHighCourt,whichhearsmorecomplicatedcivilcases.AppealsareheardbytheCourtofAppealsfortheCivilDivision,andultimatelybytheSupremeCourt.CourtsysteminEnglandandWalesCourtsysteminEnglandandWales2.3Criminalcasesaretriedindistrictcourts,sheriffcourtsandtheHighCourtofJusticiary.TheHighCourtofJusticiaryisthesupremecriminalcourtofScotland.ThemaincivilcourtsarethesheriffcourtsandtheCourtofSession.CourtsysteminScotlandScottishcourtsystem2.3CourtsysteminNorthernIrelandThelegalsystemofNorthernIrelandisinmanyrespectssimilartothatofEnglandandWales.Ithasitsowncourtsystem:thesuperiorcourtsaretheCourtofAppeal,theHighCourtandtheCrownCourt,whichtogethercomprisetheCourtofJudicatureofNorthernIreland.2.4Whataretheprinciplesofthejudicialproceedings?TheUnitedKingdomhasalongjudicialhistory.ItslegalsystemhasbeenemulatedthroughouttheworldandmanyofitskeyprinciplesandrightsarepartofUSlaw.TheprinciplesderivedfromBritishlawincludetherighttotrialbyjury;therighttodueprocessoflaw;freedomfromunlawfulimprisonment,calledthewritofhabeascorpus;thetrialsystemofprosecutionanddefence;andthepresumptionthatapersonisinnocentuntilprovenguilty.2.4DoyouwanttoknowmoreaboutthejurysysteminEnglandandWales?InEnglandandWales,minorcriminalcasesareheardwithoutajuryintheMagistrates’Courts.MiddlerankingoffencesmaybetriedbymagistratesorthedefendantmayelecttrialbyjuryintheCrownCourt.Seriousoffences,however,mustbetriedbeforeajuryintheCrownCourt.Juriessitinafewcivilcases,inparticular,defamationandcasesinvolvingthestate.Juriesalsositincoroner’scourtsformorecontentiousinquests.Alljuriesconsistof12peoplebetween18–70JuryinEnglan