Pre-reading tasks

EX. 28 Answer the questions. Get into groups of 3 or 4 and find out the following:

Are there criminal and civil courts in our country?

Are there specialized courts? What cases do they consider?

EX.29 Read the names of the courts in our country:

Courts of General Jurisdiction; Arbitrazh (or Commercial) Courts; the Russian Federation Constitutional Court, Justices of peace; district courts; regional courts; the Supreme Court; the highest judicial body; trial courts; appellate courts; military courts; the Military Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation

Ex. 30 What do these courts deal with? These words will help you. Read and translate them. Make sentences to answer the question.

binding decisions; newly discovered circumstances; by way of supervision; to review judgments; to adjudicate disputes (matters); to adopt constitutions; to hear cases; to issue explanations; to resolve small claims; to try cases

Ex.31 Match the pairs of words and translate them.

EX.32 a) Match English word combinations with their Russian equivalents.

b) Use some of the word combinations from the box and make 5 sentences to describe the Russian court system and its work.

EX.33 Grammar focus. Participles. Revision.

The rule is :

a) Make participles:

b) Use the appropriate form of the verbs (Infinitive, Participle I, Participle II) in the sentences. Translate the sentences:

1. District courts … …….. in the system of courts of general jurisdiction. (to include)

2. One of the functions of regional courts is ……… the judgments of district courts. (to review)

3. The Supreme Court explains questions ……. to judicial practice. (to pertain)

Reading tasks

EX. 33 Skim the text and divide it into the logical parts. Entitle them:

The Russian Court System

The Russian court system is composed of three independent parts. They are

(1) the Courts of General Jurisdiction;

(2) the Arbitrazh (or Commercial) Courts;

(3) the Russian Federation Constitutional Courts.

The Courts of General Jurisdiction include Justices of peace, District courts, Regional courts and the Supreme Court as the highest judicial body within the courts of general jurisdiction.

Justices of peace resolve small claims at the local level.

District (rayon) courts function as courts of first instance and courts of appeals for decisions of justices of peace. These courts make initial decisions in the majority of criminal and civil cases.

Regional (oblast) courts serve as trial courts in more serious crimes and civil matters, and as appellate courts reviewing district court’s judgments.

The Supreme Court hears civil, administrative, criminal, and other cases by way of supervision and for newly discovered circumstances. The Supreme Court may issue explanations on questions concerning to judicial practice.

The military courts are included into the system of courts of general jurisdiction. They form a three tier system organized under the territorial principle and include garrison, district (navy) courts and the Military Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

The Commercial Courts adjudicate commercial and economic disputes between business entities. These courts are organized at the level of constituent components of the Russian Federation.

The Russian Federation Constitutional Court adjudicates matters governed by the Russian Federation Constitution. Rulings of the Constitutional Court are binding and final. Some subjects of the Russian Federation may adopt their own "subject" constitutions, and that’s why, they have their own "subject" constitutional courts.

Ex. 34 What part of speech are the underlined words? Translate these words and sentences that contain them.

Ex.35 Find in the text all the derivatives from the words “ to supervise ”, “ to explain”, “to decide” , “ to organize”, “to operate” , “to open”, “to comply”, “valid” and translate them into Russian.

Ex. 36. Find a word or a phrase in the text which is similar in the meaning to the following: subjects, judicial body, court decision, level, court of 1^st instance, obligatory, civil cases

Ex.37.Say if these statements are true or false.

1. There are two main groups of courts in the Russian court system.

2. Justices of the peace form an integral part of the system of the Commercial Courts.

3. The Supreme Court of the RF issues explanations on questions of court practice.

4. The Commercial Courts are formed at the level of subjects of the Russian Federation.

5. The decisions of the RF Constitutional Court are binding to all the courts of the Russian Federation.

Ex. 38. Match the courts of general jurisdiction and the cases they can try. Describe the functions of these courts.

EX. 39. Fill in the box with the appropriate information from the text “The Russian Court System”

EX.40. Choose the suitable word and translate the sentences into Russian:

1. The Russian judicial system (consists, includes) of the Constitutional Court, the courts of the general jurisdiction, and the State commercial courts.

2. The Constitutional Court (interprets, adopts) the constitution and (resolves, solves) issues related to the compliance of laws and regulations within the constitution.

3. The courts of general jurisdiction (hear, listen) criminal cases and (resolve, review) civil and administrative disputes.

4. Disputes regarding business activity are (heard, governed) before the State Commercial courts.

EX.41 a) Scan the text and fill in the table below.

JUDGES

The Constitution provides* that a Russian citizen over the age of 25, who has had a higher legal education and experience in the legal profession for a minimum of 5 years may become a judge (Art.119). The Law on the Status of Judges provides for more details.

Judge of the Constitutional Court – 40 years of age and experience of working in legal profession for no less than 15 years;

Judges of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Commercial Court of the Russian Federation – 35 years of age and experience of working in legal profession for no less than 10 years;

Judges of the courts of the constituent entities and the Federal Territorial Commercial Courts – 30 years of age and experience of working in legal profession for no less than 7 years;

Judges of the commercial courts of the constituent entities – 25 years of age and experience of working in legal profession for no less than 5 years.

*to provide предусматривать

b) Which statement corresponds to the text?

A. The Law on the Status of Judges sets forth the basic requirements for the position of a judge.

B. A judge is a Russian citizen of 35 years old who has experience of working in legal profession.

C. Any citizen of our country with the experience of 5 years can be a judge.

D. The Constitution of the RF sets forth the basic requirements for the position of a judge

c) Answer the questions:

1) Would you like to be a judge? 2) Which court would you like to work at?

3) What should you do to be a judge of that court?

EX.42. a) Scan the text and entitle it..

Commercial courts are independent. The new commercial courts started operation in April 1992.

The basic level of commercial courts comprises “commercial courts of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation”, that is commercial courts of the republics, regions, cities with federal status, and autonomous regions. There are 81 such courts. These courts handle cases as the first instance court.

Appeals against the decisions of the first instance court are handled* by appellate courts**. Now there are 20 appellate courts which review the legality and groundfulness of the decisions of the first instance court.

The third level courts are the Federal Territorial Commercial Courts. There are 10 such courts which handle cases as an instance of cassation*** in relation to the courts within the jurisdiction.

The highest level of commercial court is the Supreme Commercial Court of the Russian Federation. The Supreme Commercial Court comprises the Plenum, the Presidium, the Department of Civil Cases, and the Department of Administrative Cases.

The most important functions of the Plenum is to issue decisions addressed to lower courts. The Presidium reviews cases by way of supervision.

*to handle appeals рассматривать апелляции

**appellate court апелляционный суд

***an instance of cassation кассационная инстанция

c) Look at the diagram and describe the commercial courts. Use the words:

to consist of; to handle cases (appeals); court of first instance; appellate courts; to review; an instance of cassation; lower courts; by way of supervision

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 1437