Legal systems and jurisdiction: which game, which court
הוצג| English | משמעות |
|---|---|
| civil liability | a claimant's claim to be made whole for a private wrong |
| criminal liability | the state's claim that a rule of public law was broken |
| standard of proof | how convinced the court must be: balance of probabilities or beyond reasonable doubt |
| precedent | like cases decided alike, higher courts binding lower ones |
One set of facts, three different questions
- A customer alleges the festival buns made her ill. Before anyone argues about facts: is this civil or criminal, which court hears it, and who must prove what, to what standard?
- Every rule in this course carries its label: the working law is England and Wales.
Civil and criminal are different games
- Civil liability 民事责任 is the claimant's claim to be made whole; criminal liability 刑事责任 is the state's claim that public law was broken. Same facts, different parties.
- The standard of proof 证明标准 differs on purpose: the civil balance of probabilities (just past 50%); criminal, beyond reasonable doubt - no number, deliberately.
The criminal standard of proof in England and Wales:
רמת קושי 1/5 · 100 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
No numeric standard exists for it, deliberately.
Match each court to its work.
רמת קושי 2/5 · 140 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
The ladder: start at the right rung.
Which court, and how long do you have
- Her schedule: 340 off work + 160 medical + 6,300 injury = 6,800 pounds - under 10,000, so the claim usually takes the small claims track in the County Court.
- A simple-contract claim must be brought within 6 years (Limitation Act 1980 s.5); a deed gets 12.
Civil, criminal, or neither?
Route each step of the bad-bun file to the right track.
The schedule: 340 + 160 + 6,300. The total, in pounds?
רמת קושי 2/5 · 140 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
340 + 160 + 6,300 = 6,800.
Years to bring a simple-contract claim (Limitation Act 1980 s.5)?
רמת קושי 2/5 · 140 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
Six years from breach; twelve for a deed.
A claim of 6,800 pounds for personal injury usually takes which track?
רמת קושי 1/5 · 100 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
Claims of 10,000 pounds or less usually take the small claims track in the County Court.
Read the citation before the case
- [2015] UKSC 67: year, court (UK Supreme Court), 67th judgment. [1893] 1 QB 256: volume 1 of the Queen's Bench reports for 1893, page 256.
- Precedent 判例: like cases alike; the Supreme Court binds every court below. A case from 1893 still good law on offers is the system working.
What does [1893] 1 QB 256 cite?
רמת קושי 1/5 · 100 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
Older cases cite law reports; modern ones use court codes like UKSC.
The Supreme Court is free to ignore its own previous decision in every case.
רמת קושי 1/5 · 100 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
It departs from itself only exceptionally; every court below is bound.
Three jurisdiction slips
- Treating not guilty as not liable. The standards differ on purpose.
- Suing where it feels right. The citation and the court come first.
- Reading a Scottish or US ruling as English law. Label the jurisdiction of every rule you rely on.
An acquittal in the criminal prosecution means the customer loses her civil claim.
רמת קושי 1/5 · 100 מטבעות + בונוס קטן בהשלמה הראשונה היום
Different standards: she can still win on the balance of probabilities.
Recap
- Civil balances probabilities; criminal demands proof beyond reasonable doubt.
- Money claims of 10,000 pounds or less usually take the small claims track.
- Simple contracts: 6 years; deeds: 12. Read the citation, check the court.