The judicial system of the USA

The American court system is complex. Individuals fall under the jurisdiction of two different court systems, their state courts and federal courts. Each state runs its own court system, and no two are identical. There is also a system of federal courts which coexist with the state courts. People can sue in either system but the majority of cases go to the state courts.

The system of federal courts is like a pyramid. The lowest courts in the Federal Court system are the district courts where litigation begins. There are about ninety district courts in different parts of the USA and about two hundred district judges. Most criminal and civil cases go to the district courts.

There are eleven judicial circuits in the USA and each of them has a Federal Court of Appeals which hears appeals from lower courts. To appeal means to take a case to a higher court. As a rule a Federal Court of Appeals sits with three judges on the bench.

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body of the United States. It is at the top of the pyramid of the US federal courts. Above the main entrance of the Supreme Court Building in Washington we can see the following words: ‘Equal Justice under law’. The Supreme Court has the right to declare unconstitutional any law of the Congress or any decree of the President. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the USA and eight Associate Justices. The President appoints them all, and the Senate approves them. The Federal Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court are appellate courts. The decision of the Supreme Court is final.

XI. Найдите в тексте “В” предложения, отвечающие на следующие вопросы:

1. Какие две судебные системы существуют в США?

2. Какие суды являются судами низшей инстанции в США? Каковы их функции?

3. Каков состав федерального апелляционного суда в США? Каковы его функции?

4. Какой высший судебный орган в Соединенных Штатах?

5. Какая надпись висит над входом в здание Верховного Суда в Вашингтоне?

6. Каковы функции Верховного Суда?

7. Каков состав Верховного Суда США?

XII. Переведите следующие словосочетания с русского языка на английский:

1.подпадать под юрисдикцию

2. сосуществовать

3. суды штатов

4. федеральные суды

5. подать иск

6. большинство дел

7. судебное разбирательство, тяжба

8. окружной суд

9. апелляционный суд

10. Верховный Суд

11. высший судебный орган

12. объявить неконституционным

13. указ президента

14. главный судья

15. рассматривать апелляции

XIII. Подготовьте пересказ текста “B” на английском языке.

XIV. Прочтите и перескажите своим друзьям английские шутки:

A husband said to his friend, “My wife does not allow me to sleep. She is afraid of thieves, she wakes me up if she hears the slightest noise, and makes me get up to see if there are any burglars in the house.”

“You can easily get over that difficulty. Just explain to your wife that thieves don’t make any noise, they work quietly and don’t disturb anybody.”

“I explained it to her two days ago but it only made things worse. Now she wakes me up several times every night because she hears nothing”.

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a thief (thieves) – вор

a burglar – грабитель, взломщик

the slightest noise – малейший шум

to get over smth – справиться с чем-либо, преодолеть что-либо

to disturb smb – побеспокоить кого-либо

It only made things worse. – (зд.) Это только обострило ситуацию.

* * *

One night a policeman stopped two cars, one after another, and gave the drivers who were both judges tickets for speeding. When the cases came up for hearing the next day, the two judges agreed that each of them should leave the bench in turn and the other one should hear the case.

The first judge pleaded guilty and received a fine of ten dollars. When they exchanged places the second magistrate also pleaded guilty and was rather shocked to receive a fine of fifteen dollars.

“That’s not fair,” he complained. “I only fined you ten dollars.”

“I know,” was the reply, “but there is too much of this sort of thing going on – this is the second case of speeding today.”

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to plead guilty – признать себя виновным

That’s not fair. – Это несправедливо.

there is too much of this sort of thing going – (зд.) происходит слишком много подобных нарушений

* * *

Believe it or not, but…

… in Texas, USA, before 1932 an escape from prison was not considered a crime if the prisoner escaped without using fire arms.

… if you leave an elephant on the parking lot in Florida you must pay for the parking as if it were a car.

… in Indiana it is illegal to go to the cinema or to the theatre or use public transport if you ate garlic less than four hours before that.

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an escape from prison - побег из тюрьмы

was not considered a crime – не считался преступлением

parking lot – стоянка, место для парковки

as if it were… – (зд.) как если бы он был…

garlic - чеснок

less than – менее, чем