1) The hierarchy of the civil courts

This assignment is about the hierarchy of the civil courts. First we have the Supreme Court. The following courts are the Court of Appeal, Divisional Courts, the Crown Court and the Magistrates Court.

The criminal law, encloses in the judicial system of a country those legal rules by which certain behaviour patterns are forbidden and are tied together with a punishment as a legal result. As an aim of the criminal law is valid above all the protection of certain legally protected rights as for example life, health and property of people, security and integrity of the state as well as elementary values of the communal life.

The Supreme Court is the highest Court in England. On 1st of October 2009 the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom took over the duties of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. The Supreme Court is the highest legal authority for criminal and civil cases except for penal procedure in Scotland where no appeal is possible with the Supreme Court. For usual an appeal procedure is admitted before the Supreme Court only if the disputable legal issue of public interests. During the year they hear between five and ten cases.
The competence of the Court of appeal also applies to summary proceedings, for example, applications for temporary orders by restrictions of the freedom of the press or to by the state imposed access restrictions, on appeals in laid by the public prosecutor’s office as well as to various legal remedies according to the Proceeds of Crime Act (law above proceeds from criminal offences) from 2001. In addition, the court treats appeals in court martial procedure. The Court of Appeal hears appeals from the Crown Court. There are 38 Lord justices of appeal.
One of the Divisional Courts is the Queen’s Bench. The in each case responsible Divisional Courts (Chancery Division and Queen’s Bench division) also serve as a legal authority for judgements of the country Courts. Among the rest, the Divisional Court of the Queen’s Bench division deals with legal remedies against decisions of the Magistrates Courts and the Crown Court (except in cases in which the main negotiations take place with the Crown Court).
The Crown Court is a nationally active court which is represented in different conurbations of England and Wales. The Court deals with all heavy criminal cases which are expelled by the Magistrate Courts. A judge carries on the negotiations in the presence of twelve jurors from the population. Sometimes jurors are also required for civil things (for example actions for slander); indeed, this does not happen often. In this case the negotiations take place before the High Court or a County Court. The Crown Court also serves as a legal authority for cases which are negotiated before the Magistrates Court. There are three different tiers. The first tier deals with all categories of crime and exist in main centres. The second tier also deals with all categories of crime and hears only cases from the Crown Court. The third tier deals with the most serious cases like murder.

The Magistrate Courts are responsible in the central issue of criminal cases; most punishable actions are negotiated before these courts. All over England and Wales are 400 Magistrate Courts. They work on 97% of all criminal cases. Especially heavy criminal offences are passed on in the Crown Court. The Magistrates Court deals with certain civil cases, among the rest, with family things the recovery of certain demands like local rates or trade approvals (for example concessions for the alcoholpub), to offence against licence terms and judicial orders as well as with quits disputes and play disputes.They also deal with preliminary hearings. Most cases are negotiated before the Magistrates Courts by lay justices (also justice of the peace called). These lay justices own no juridical education. They negotiate normally too third and will consult in legal cases of juridically certified court employees. The called professional judges who act in full time deals as a district judges with particularly complicated cases. Besides are occupied in partial time deputy district judges in the Magistrates Courts.