The Judicial Branch of Power

Text 9 A

Before you read

Discuss these questions with your partner.

1. Do you know anything about US court system?

2. What court was created by the Constitution in the USA?

Article III of the Constitution, which establishes the Judicial Branch, leaves Congress extensive powers to determine the shape and structure of the federal judiciary.

Congress has divided the country into ninety-four federal judicial districts. In each district there is a district court. The US district courts are the federal trial courts – the places where federal cases are tried, witnesses testify, and juries serve. Within each district there is a US bankruptcy court, a part of the district court that administers the bankruptcy laws.

Congress placed each of the ninety-four districts in one of the twelve regional circuits. Each circuit has a court of appeals. If you lose a case in a district court, you can ask the court of appeals to review the case to see if the district judge applied the law correctly.

There is also a US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, whose jurisdiction is defined by subject-matter rather than by geography. It hears appeals from certain courts and agencies, such as the US Court of International Trade, the US Court of Federal Claims, and certain types of cases from the district courts.

The Supreme Court of the United States, in Washington, D.C. is the highest court in the nation. It is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. If you lose a case in the court of appeals, you can ask the Supreme Court to hear your appeal. However, unlike a court of appeals, the Supreme Court doesn’t have to hear it. Court hears only small percentage of the cases it is asked to review.

The number of Supreme Court Justices is set by Congress. Since 1869 it has been composed of one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. All Justices are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They serve no fixed term-they serve until their death, retirement or conviction by the Senate. The Court’s caseload is almost entirely appellate in nature, and the Court’s decisions cannot be appealed to any authority, as it is the final judicial arbiter in the United States on matters of federal law. However, the Court may hear appeals from the highest state courts or from federal appellate courts. The Court also has original jurisdiction in cases involving ambassadors and other diplomats, and in cases between states.

The federal courts are often called the guardians of the Constitution because their rulings protect rights and liberties guaranteed by it. Through fair and impartial judgments, the federal courts interpret and apply the law to resolve disputes. The courts do not make the laws. That is the responsibility of Congress. The courts have the power to enforce the laws and the many executive branch departments and agencies.

State courts operate independently of the federal judiciary. They handle a much larger number of cases and have more contact with the public than federal courts do. The states, like the federalgovernment have a hierarchically organized system of general courts along with a group of special courts.

The lowest level of state courts often known as the inferior courts may include any of the following: magistrate court, municipal court, justice of the peace court, police court, traffic court and county court. Such tribunals handle only minor civil and criminal cases.

More serious offences are heard in superior court, also known as state district court, circuit court, and by a variety of other names. The superior courts, usually organized by counties, hear appeals from the inferior courts and have original jurisdiction over major civil suits and serious crimes. It is here that most of the nations jury trials occur.

The highest state court, usually called the appellate court, state court of appeals, or state supreme court, generally hears appeals from the state superior courts and, in some instances, has original jurisdiction over particularly important casescourts. Additionally a state may have any of a wide variety of special tribunals, usually on the inferior court level, including juvenile court, divorce court, probate court, family court, housing court, and small claims cases. In all, there are more than 1000 state courts of various types, and their judges, who may be either appointed or elected, handle the great majority of trials held in the United States each year.

Ex. I. Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. Who determines the shape and structure of the federal judiciary?

2. What is the Federal Court System?

3. What court is the highest in the federal system? What cases does it try?

4. Why are the federal courts often called the guardians of the Constitution?

5. What is the System of State Courts?

6. How is the highest state court called? What appeals does it hear?

Ex. II. Read the text and decide if the following statements are True, False or No information.

1. Article III of the Constitution leaves Congress extensive powers to determine the shape and structure of the federal judiciary.

2. Congress has divided the country into ninety-four federal judicial districts.

3. The number of Supreme Court Justices is set by Congress.

4. The Constitution also grants Congress the power to establish courts inferior to the Supreme Court.

5. Federal judges can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction (осуждение) in the Senate.

6. Cases brought before the judiciary typically proceed from district court to appellate court and may even end at the Supreme Court.

7. Federal Courts enjoy the sole power (исключительное право) to interpret the law, determine the constitutionality of the law, and apply it to individual cases.

8. The federal courts have the power to enforce the law.

9. The states, like the federal government, have a system of district courts.

10. The inferior courts handle only serious criminal cases.

11. The superior courts have original jurisdiction over major civil suits.

12. The highest state court hears appeals from the state superior courts.

13. The state courts are final arbiters of state of state laws and constitutions.

14. Their interpretation of federal law or the US Constitution may be appealed to the US Supreme Court.

Ex. III. Find English equivalents in the text.

1. Конгресс разделил страну на 94 федеральных судебных округа.

2. В каждом округе есть федеральный районный суд.

3. Федеральные районные суды Америки являются судами первой инстанции.

4. В каждом округе есть суд по делам о несостоятельности.

5. Конгресс поместил каждый из 94 округов в один из 12 региональных судебных округов.

6. Также в каждом округе есть апелляционный суд.

7. Верховный суд - это единственный суд, специально созданный Конституцией.

8. Число членов Верховного суда устанавливается Конгрессом.

9. Все члены Верховного суда назначаются Президентом и утверждаются Сенатом.

10. Решения Верховного суда не могут быть обжалованы никаким органом власти.

11. Федеральные суды часто называют гарантами Конституции, так как их решения защищают гарантированные ею права и свободы.

12. Суды штатов имеют независимую от федеральной власти юридическую силу.

13. Такие суды специальной юрисдикции рассматривают только мелкие гражданские и уголовные дела.

14. Более серьезные правонарушения разбираются в вышестоящих судах.

15. Вышестоящие суды, обычно утвержденные округами, рассматривают апелляции из нижестоящих судов и имеют юрисдикцию суда первой инстанции по важным гражданским искам и серьезным преступлениям.

16. Высший суд штата, обычно называемый апелляционным судом или верховным судом штата, в основном рассматривает апелляции из вышестоящих судов штата и, в некоторых случаях, имеет юрисдикцию первой инстанции по особо важным делам.

Ex. IV. Mind the English words and phrases with their Russian equivalents.

1. the guardians of the Constitution	1. федеральный судебный округ
2. to protect rights and liberties	2. гаранты конституции
3. to interpret and apply the law	3. рассматривать апелляцию
4. to operate	4. защищать права и свободы
5. inferior court	5. суд первой инстанции
6. federal circuit	6. иметь юридическое действие; иметь юридическую силу
7. the US court of Federal Claims	7. апелляционный суд
8. rather than	8. осуждение
9. unlike	9. в отличие от
10. to confirm	10. давать показания
11. conviction	11. скорее … чем
12. original jurisdiction	12. федеральный районный суд
13. to hear an appeal	13. толковать и применять законы
14. Appellate court	14. претензионный суд
15. Chief Justice	15. член Верховного суда США
16. Associate Justice	16. председатель Верховного суда США
17. district court	17. выездная сессия окружного суда
18. trial court	18. нижестоящий суд
19. to testify	19. утверждать
20. circuit court	20. рассмотрение дел по первой инстанции
21. for some instance	21. беспристрастный
22. impartial	22. в некоторых случаях

Ex. V. Find the English equivalents for the words and word-combinations. Use them in the sentences of your own.

1. федеральная судебная власть

2. федеральный районный суд

3. судебный округ

4. пересматривать

5. назначать

6. утверждать

7. председатель Верховного суда США

8. член Верховного суда США

9. толковать (правовую норму, закон)

10. федеральный суд

11. суд штата

12. нижестоящий суд

13. вышестоящий суд

14. апелляционный суд

15. гражданский иск

Ex. VI. Complete the following sentences.

1. Article III of the Constitution leaves Congress extensive powers …

2. Congress has divided the country into …

3. In each district there is …

4. The US district courts are …

5. Congress placed each of the ninety-four districts in …

6. Each circuit has …

7. The Supreme Court of the United States is …

8. The number of Supreme Court Justices is set by …

9. All Justices are appointed by …

10. The Court’s decisions cannot be …

11. The Court has original jurisdiction in cases …

12. State courts operate independently of …

13. The lowest level of state courts often known as …

14. The superior courts hear appeals from the inferior courts and have …

15. The highest state court generally hears …

16. Additionally a state may have any of a wide variety of …

Ex. VII. Work with a partner. Look through the text and do the following things:

1. Mind the English names of courts with their Russian equivalents.

2. Answer the question: “What of the two court systems do they belong to (federal or state system)?”

1. district court	1. апелляционный суд
2. trial court	2. суд по семейным делам (местный суд специальной юрисдикции в штате)
3. Court of Claims	3. суд присяжных
4. state court	4. выездная сессия окружного суда (в ряде штатов США)
5. inferior court	5. вышестоящий суд
6. circuit court	6. суд штата
7. superior court	7. нижестоящий суд
8. Appellate court	8. суд первой инстанции
9. jury trial	9. федеральный районный суд (федеральный суд первой инстанции в США)
10. divorce court	10. суд округа штата
11. family court	11. суд по бракоразводным делам
12. small claims court	12. суд по делам о несостоятельности
13. police court	13. транспортный суд
14. traffic court	14. суд по делам расследуемых полицией мелких преступлений
15. county court	15. суд магистрата, магистратский суд, мировой суд
16. general court	16. мировой суд
17. probate court	17. суд по делам с небольшой суммой иска
18. justice of the peace court	18. законодательное собрание (в штатах Массачусетс и Нью-Хэмпшир)
19. municipal court	19. транспортный суд
20. magistrate court	20. транспортный суд
21.juvenile court	21. суд по делам несовершеннолетних
22. bankruptcy court	22. муниципальный суд
23. special court	23. специальный суд, суд специальной юрисдикции

Ex. VIII. Will you tell us about Judicial system in the USA, please?

Дата добавления: 2014-12-26