Professional Documents
Culture Documents
S
SEECCT
TIIO
ONNA
A:: H
HIIS
STTO
ORRIIC
CAALL B
BAAC
CKKG
GRRO
OUUN
NDD
A
A..11.. FFiinndd tthhee nneeaarreesstt EEnngglliisshh eeqquuiivvaalleenntt ffor
or tthhee R
Room mss aanndd jjooiinn tthheem
maanniiaann tteerrm m aass iinn tthhee
eexxaam
mppllee..
judicial precedent books of authority drept cutumiar
INFO BOX
Common law. As distinguished from statutory law created by the enactment
of legislatures, the common law comprises the body of those principles and
rules of action, relating to the government and security of persons and
property, which derive their authority solely from usages and customs of
immemorial antiquity, or from the judgements and decrees of the courts
recognising, affirming and enforcing such usages and customs; and, in this
sense, particularly the ancient unwritten law of England. In general, it is a
body of law that develops and derives trough judicial decisions, as
distinguished from legislative enactments.
Walker, David (1980) The Oxford Companion to Law OUP
A
A..22.. CChhoooossee tthhee tthhrreeee m
moosstt ssiiggnniiffiiccaanntt iinnfflluueenncceess oonn tthhee ggrroow Room
wtthh ooff tthhee R maanniiaann lleeggaall
ssyysstteem Coonnssiiddeerr iitteem
m.. C mss ssuucchh aass::
customs EC treaties
the Napoleonic Code the union of the 3 Romanian provinces under the
reign of Michael the Brave
the Ottoman rule
the Romanian Constitution of 1923
Constantin Mavrocordat’s
reform Roman law
N
Nooww bbee pprreeppaarreedd ttoo ddeeffeenndd yyoouurr cchhooiicceess..
A
A..33.. LLooookk aatt tthhee ddiiccttiioonnaarryy eexxttrraaccttss ffrroom
m tthhee O
Oxxffoorrdd C
Coom mppaanniioonn ttoo EEnngglliisshh LLaaw
w ddeeffiinniinngg
tthhee nnaattuurree ooff vvaarriioouuss ““ssoouurrcceess ooff llaaw Whiicchh ooff tthhee m
w””.. Wh meeaanniinnggss bbeelloow
w ccoorrrreessppoonnddss ttoo
eeaacchh eexxttrraacctt::
a. THEORETICAL or PHILOSOPHICAL
b. HISTORICAL
c. LITERARY
d. DOCUMENTARY
e. FORMAL
INFO BOX
Equity. Justice administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly
formulated rules of common law. It is based on a system of rules and principles
which originated in England as an alternative to the harsh rules of common law
and which were based on what was fair in a particular situation. One sought relief
under this system in courts of equity rather than in courts of law. The term
“equity” denotes the spirit and habit of fairness, justness, and right dealing which
would regulate the intercourse of person with person. Equity is a body of
jurisprudence, or field of jurisdiction, differing in its origin, theory and methods
from the common law; though procedurally, equitable and legal rights and
remedies are administered in the same court.
Walker, David (1980) The Oxford Companion to Law OUP
A
A..44.. W
Woorrkkiinngg w
wiitthh aa ppaarrttnneerr aanndd w
wiitthhoouutt rreeffeerrrriinngg bbaacckk ttoo tthhee tteexxtt sseeee iiff yyoouu ccaann ffiinndd tthhee
aannssw wiinngg qquueessttiioonnss::
weerrss ttoo tthhee ffoolllloow
1. What are the historical sources that have shaped the legal system of the United
Kingdom?
2. Which two philosophical principles influenced 19th- century English law?
3. What are the formal sources of law in the UK?
4. What is the name used for writings by jurists, such as Coke and Blackstone?
5. Are legal treaties and encyclopaedias accepted as binding in courts of law?
N
Noow
w ccoom
mppaarree yyoouurr aannssw wiitthh tthhee tteext
weerrss w xt..
SSSE
EC
E CT
C TIIIO
T ON
O NB
N B::: L
B LA
L AN
ANNG
GU
G UA
U AG
AGGE
EF
E FO
FOOC
CU
C US
U S
S
B
B...1
B 1...1
1 1... L
1 Liisstteenn ttoo tthhee ddeeffiinniittiioonnss ooff sseevveerraall lleeggaall tteerrm
mss aanndd ppuutt tthhee lleetttteerrss iinn oorrddeerr ttoo m
maakkee 1122
lleeggaall tteerrm
mss..
e.g. GOLIESATINL L E G I S L A T I O N
1. VISIONPRO _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. ROUCES _ _ _ _ _ _
3. VARPEIL _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. DETELEGAD _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. SEAWLCA _ _ _ _ _ _ _
6. UTASTET _ _ _ _ _ _ _
7. ROMERF _ _ _ _ _ _
8. SIODECIN _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
9. PREDECENT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
10. ORNIM _ _ _ _ _
11. TUSTATORY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
B
B...1
B 1...2
1 2... W
2 Wrriittee tthhee w
woorrddss iinn tthhee ggrriidd ttoo ffiinndd tthhee m
myysstteerryy pphhrraassee.. TThhee ffiirrsstt oonnee hhaass bbeeeenn ddoonnee ffoorr
yyoouu..
1 L E G I S L A T I O N
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
English law stems from seven main ______________ (1), though these
vary a deal in importance. The basis of our law today is ____________
(2), a mass of judge-made decisions which lays down rules to be
followed in future cases. For many centuries it was the main form of
law and it is still very important today. However, the most important
form of law, in the sense that it _____________ (3) over most of the
others, is _______________ (4), or Acts of Parliament, which today is
the source of most major changes in the law. As well as being a source
of law in their own right, statutes contribute to case law, since the
courts occasionally have to interpret ______________ (5) provisions,
and such decisions lay down new ______________ (6). ______________ (7)
legislation is a related source, laying down detailed rules made to
implement the broader _____________ (8) of statutes.
An increasingly important source of law is the _______________
(9) of the European Communities, which is the only type of law that
can take precedence over statutes in the UK, and is increasingly
influencing the ________________ (10) of the courts in interpreting
statutes. Finally, custom, equity and obligations relating to
international treaties are ____________ (11) sources of law, though
Britain’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights
have produced notable contributions to law ______________ (12).
Source: Catherine Elliott and Frances Quinn (1998) English Legal
System, London: Longman
BB.. 22.. W
Wiitthh aa ppaarrttnneerr pprrac
acttiissee ssaayyiinngg tthhee ffoolllloow
wiinngg w maarrkk tthhee m
woorrddss aanndd m maaiinn ssttrreessss.. TThhee
ffiirrsstt oonnee hhaass bbeeeenn ddoonnee ffoorr yyoouu..
precedent legislation contribute equity courts
statutes statutory interpreting implement vary law
international provisions
BB..33.. To
o cchheecckk yyoouurr uunnddeerrssttaannddiinngg ooff tthhee m w,, ddeecciiddee iiff tthhee sseenntteenncceess bbeelloow
maaiinn ssoouurrcceess ooff llaaw w
aarree ttrruuee ((TT)) oorr ffaallssee ((FF))..
T F
1. The English legal system is based on Roman law.
2. Most legal systems have their origins in ancient customs.
3. English common law was originally based on oral customs of the Anglo-Saxons.
4. Common law, also known as statutory law, is the ancient unwritten law of England.
5. Equity originated as a more flexible system of jurisprudence than common law.
6. Legislation means judge-made law.
7. Parliament’s enactment is not absolutely binding on all courts and all citizens.
8. In Britain today Parliament is the supreme legislative body.
9. The principle behind the doctrine of precedent is that judges follow the example of
precedent of earlier decisions.
10. If domestic law and international law have different provisions concerning the same
issue, judges may choose to apply either of them.
SSSE
EC
E CT
C TIIIO
T ON
O NC
N C:::
C S
SO
S OU
O UR
U RC
RCCE
ES
E SO
S OF
O FE
F EN
ENNG
GL
G LIIIS
L SH
S HL
H LA
L AW
AWW
CC..11.. Y Yoouu hhaavvee ttoo ggiivvee aa sshhoorrtt tteeaam m pprreesseennttaattiioonn oonn tthhee ssoouurrcceess ooff llaaw
w iinn
Waalleess ffoorr aa ccoouurrssee//sseem
EEnnggllaanndd aanndd W miinnaarr..
CC..11..11.. W
Woorrkkiinngg iinn aa tteeaam
m ooff ssiixx,, ddiivviiddee uupp tthhiiss lliisstt ooff rreelleevvaanntt ttooppiiccss bbeettw
weeeenn yyoouu..
COMMON LAW
PRECEDENT
LEGISLATION
TEXT BOOKS
EC LAW
JUDICIAL INTERPRETATION
C
C...1
C 1...2
1 2... IInnddiivviidduuaallllyy,, rreeaadd tthhee tteexxtt aanndd ffiinndd tthhee rreelleevvaanntt sseeccttiioonn w
2 whhiicchh pprroovviiddeess yyoouu w
wiitthh
on tthhee ttooppiicc you
maattiioonn on
iinnffoorrm you hhaavvee cchhoosseenn..
Name of topics
One of the great fascinations of the law is that it reflects history, politics, economics INTRODUCTION
and changing social values. Politicians come and go; public concerns fluctuate with
remarkable speed; theories of behaviour developed by sociologists and criminologists
find favour then fade; moral values differ from individual to individual, but the law is
the formal code by which society chooses to regulate its behaviour. For example, the
Public Order Act 1986 strengthened the provisions on crimes of racial hatred in
response to public concern about the increase in such incidents. In the civil law,
liberalisation of the divorce laws and the abortion laws illustrates that the law is a
formal regulatory code and does not necessarily coincide with individual views about
morality or the stability of social structures. More immediately, our laws come from
two sources: legislation and the common law.
Unlike many other countries, English law has not been fully codified into
statute, and many important provisions do not appear in any written law,
but remain based, wholly or partly, in the common law – established custom
as adopted and developed by judges over the years. For the details of this
kind of law, it is necessary to refer to reported judgements. The most 2.
important example of a common law offence is murder: the constituents of _______________
‘malice aforethought’ and an intention unlawfully to kill or cause grievous
bodily harm derive from what judges have said in the past, not from any
Act of Parliament which says that murder is a crime. Statute has, though,
intervened to impose a mandatory life sentence for those convicted of
murder, and, more recently, to abolish the old common law rule that death
must occur within a year and a day to constitute murder.
Text books have no formal place in making and interpreting the law,
but advocates in court often refer to certain established works
when seeking to persuade the judge of a particular point of view.
Arguments on doubtful points of law are fairly rare in the
magistrates’ courts, but leading books are often referred to to 6. _______________
explain the relevant law, even though it may not be in doubt. This is
particularly likely in a case which is relatively unusual for
magistrates. Among authoritative books sometimes referred to are
Archbold (Criminal Pleading), Blackstone’s (Blackstone’s Criminal
Practice), Stone’s (Stone’s Justices’ Manual) and Wilkinson
(Wilkinson’s Traffic Offences). Generally, the more editions of a
book that have been published, and the fact that it is referred to
by its author’s (or original author’s) name alone, the more
authoritative it is!
Source: McKittrick, Neil & Callow, Pauline: Blackstone’s Handbook for Magistrates, Blackstone
Press Ltd., London, 1997
C
C...1
C 1...3
1 3... M
3 Maakkee nnootteess iinn oorrddeerr ttoo ggiivvee aa 22--m
miinnuuttee pprreesseennttaattiioonn oonn yyoouurr ttooppiicc.. SSttrruuccttuurree tthhee
maattiioonn ssoo tthhaatt yyoouurr ccoolllleeaagguueess ccaann ffoolllloow
iinnffoorrm wwwiitthhoouutt ddiiffffiiccuullttyy..
C
C...1
C 1...4
1 4... T
4 Taakkee iitt iinn ttuurrnnss ttoo pprreesseenntt ttoo tthhee rreesstt ooff yyoouurr tteeaam
m.. TTaakkee nnootteess oonn yyoouurr ccoolllleeaagguueess’’
ccoonnttrriibbuuttiioonnss..
C
C...1
C 1...5
1 5... T
5 m pprreesseennttaattiioonn..
Tooggeetthheerr aaggrreeee oonn aa tteeaam
CC..22.. L
Laanngguuaaggee w
woorrkk
CC..22..11.. CCoom
mpplleettee tthhee ffoolllloow wiitthh tthhee vveerrbb((ss)),, nnoouunn((ss)) oorr aaddjjeeccttiivvee((ss)) w
wiinngg ttaabbllee w whheerree
aapppprroopprriiaattee..
CC..22..22.. IInn tthhee sseenntteenncceess bbeellooww ffiillll eeaacchh bbllaannkk ssppaaccee wwiitthh aa ssuuiittaabbllee wwoorrdd ffrroom
m tthhee w
woorrdd
ffaam il y g i v en i n c a pi t a ls o
mily given in capitals on the right.n t he r i ght .
1. There are ___________ difficulties in getting this Bill through Parliament. PROCEDURE
2. The _____________ of the death penalty is a prerequisite of EU accession. ABOLISH
3. She said that she did not want a lawyer and was going to conduct her own DEFEND
_________.
4. UK judges are ____________ by the decisions of superior courts. BINDING
5. Bleak House is about the failings of the English _________ system in JUDGE
Victorian times.
6. The Romanian civil law was _________ in 1864. CODE
7. You must produce the _________ documents to prove that you’re the owner, REQUISITION
before we can let you have the car.
8. The body of law contained in Acts of Parliament is known as __________ STATUTORY
law.
C
C...2
C 2...3
2 3... M
3 mss eennccoouunntteerreedd iinn tthhee m
Maattcchh tthhee lleeggaall tteerrm mai wiitthh tthheeiirr ssyynnoonnyym
ainn tteexxtt aabboovvee w mss iinn
C
Coolluum
mnn A Ussiinngg aa ddiiccttiioonnaarryy,, ccaann yyoouu ffiinndd tthheeiirr ccoorrrreessppoonnddiinngg aannttoonnyym
A.. U mss?? IInnsseerrtt tthheem
m iinn
Co l u m
Column B.n B.
A - SYNONYMS B - ANTONYMS
1. expediency a. fortuitous/ incidental _______________
2. to backtrack b. encouraging/favouring _______________
3. fostering c. to try/make an effort _______________
4. consistency d. hesitate, oscillate, vary _______________
5. loopholes e. suitability/appropriateness _______________
6. to endeavour f. to make clear or understandable _______________
7. fluctuate g. ways of escaping a rule _______________
8. to clarify h. proved guilty of a crime _______________
9. hazardous i. to withdraw _______________
10. convicted j. uniformity/unity _______________
C
C...3
C 3... P
3 wooorrrkkk::: F
Prrrooojjjeeecccttt w
P w maanniiaann llaaw
Fiinndd oouutt aabboouutt tthhee ssoouurrcceess ooff RRoom w aanndd w
wrriittee aa
sshhoorrtt aaccccoouunntt ooff tthhee ttooppiicc..
U ordd uusseeffuull llaanngguuaaggee rreellaatteedd ttoo tthhee ttooppiicc ooff tthhiiss uunniitt..
Ussee tthhiiss ssppaaccee ttoo rreeccor