Reading for general understanding

Skim through the texts to understand their general meaning, answering the questions below. Do not worry about words or sections of the text that you don't understand if you can complete this activity.

a) What three basic definitions of common law are given in all the British dictionary extracts?

b) Find the extra meaning that 'common law' has in the US.

c) Which definition of common law do you think gave it its name?

d) Which definitions in the American law dictionary correspond to Text D, definitions 6 and 7?

Write an article (3 paragraphs) for the newspaper to contribute to the discussion of a new Criminal Code. The topic can be chosen from the list of the problems given hi exercise 9 (d).

— Give a brief talk to the ten graders on the Criminal Law and its role in combatting juvenile delinquency.

— Enact a role play "Trying a criminal case". You are the jury and must decide whether to acquit the accused or sentence them to a term of imprisonment (minimum 3 months/maximum life). Or could you think of a more appropriate punishment?

— Case 1. A driver while speeding hit a cyclist off her bike. She was badly injured and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. The driver didn't stop so he's charged with hit and run.

— Case 2. The accused is a doctor who gave an overdose to an 87-year-old woman. She had a terminal illness, was in constant pain and had asked for the overdose. Her family are accusing the doctor of murder.

— Case 3. A. and B. mug Mr X., take his money and leave him for dead. B. later returns alone and pushes the body in the riv­er. An autopsy reveals that the man was still just alive when pushed in the water and subsequently drowned.

13. Do some library research and write an essay on one of the given topics:

— The stricter the punishment, the lesser the crime rate, or is it?

— Law is developing: it has no impunity in the course of time.

— What is the best way to combat juvenile delinquency? Historical survey.

Self-examination questions

1 Give four main ways in which courts may be classified.

2 Who may be entitled to sit as a 'law lord' in the House of Lords?

3 What is meant by a 'leap-frog' appeal to the House of Lords?

4 What sort of cases does the Chancery Division of the High Court hear?

5 What new right did the Criminal Justice Act 1988 give to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)?

6 What sort of judges sit in the Crown Courts?

7 What is a professionally-trained, paid magistrate called?

8 What is a summary trial?

9 What are the main functions of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council?

10 Why does the work of the European Court affect the English legal system?

Unit 2.

CONVERSATION AND DISCUSSION COURTS AND TRIALS

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

1. Courts: trial courts, common pleas courts, municipal and county courts, mayors' courts, courts of claims, courts of appeals, the State Supreme Court.

The Federal courts, district courts, the US Supreme Court, juvenile court.

2. Cases: lawsuit, civil cases, criminal cases, framed-up cases.

3. Offences: felony, misdemeanour, murder, manslaughter, homicide, rape, assault, arson, robbery, burglary, theft/larceny, kidnapping, embezzlement, bribery, forgery, fraud, swindling, perjury, slander, blackmail, abuse of power, disorderly conduct, speeding, petty offence, house-breaking, shoplifting, mugging, contempt of court, subpoena.

4. Participants of the legal procedure:1) parties to a lawsuit: claimant/plaintiff (in a civil case); defendant, offender (first/ repeat); attorney for the plaintiff (in a civil case); prosecutor (criminal); attorney for defence; 2) jury, Grand jury, to serve on a jury, to swear the jury, to convene; 3) witness — a credible- witness; 4) a probation officer; 5) bailiff.

5. Legal procedure:to file a complaint/a countercomplaint, to answer/challenge the complaint; to notify the defendant of the lawsuit; to issue smb a summons; to issue a warrant of arrest (a search warrant); to indict smb for felony; to bring lawsuit; to take legal actions; to bring the case to court; to bring criminal prosecution; to make an opening statement; the prosecution; the defence; to examine a witness — direct examination, cross-examination; to present evidence (direct, circumstantial, relevant, material, incompetent, irrelevant, admissible, inadmissible, corroborative, irrefutable, presumptive documentary); to register (to rale out, to sustain) an objection; circumstances (aggravating, circumstantial, extenuating); to detain a person, detention; to go before the court.

6. Penalties or sentences:bail, to release smb on bail; to bring in (to return, to give) a verdict of guilty/not guilty; a jail sentence; send smb to the penitentiary/jail; to impose a sentence on smb; to serve a sentence; a penitentiary term — a term of imprisonment (life, from 25 years to a few months imprisonment); hard labor, manual labor; probation, to be on probation, to place an offender on probation, to grant probation/parole; parole, to release smb on parole, to be eligible for parole.

7. A court-room: the judge's bench, the jury box; the dock, the witness¹ stand/box; the public gallery.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1389