Civil Liberties and Rights (I)

Sometimes they use two terms, civil liberties and civil rights, inter­changeably, although their meanings are different.

Civil libertiesare freedoms that are guaranteed to the individual. Civil liberties declare what the government cannot do; in contrast, civil rights declare what the government must do or provide.

Civil rightsare powers or privileges that are guaranteed to the individu­al and protected from arbitrary removal at the hands of the government or other individuals. The right to vote and the right to jury trial in criminal cases are civil rights.

Civil rights and civil libertiesoverlap with individual rights and liberties, but belong more to the area of social and public interests than do individ­ual rights, which belong mainly to the area of individual interests. They are concerned essentially with what individuals and groups may do within the law, e.g. stand for election to a public authority, rather than with what they may exact, e.g. social security. Civil rights may be regarded as attempts to give meaning to the ideal of equality under laws, and civil liberties as flow­ing from the ideal of freedom.

ВАРИАНТ II

1. Перепишите следующие предложения и письменно переведите их на русский язык. Обратите внимание на особенности перевода сослагательного наклонения.

1. He wishes the evidence would suddenly disappear. 2. It's high time the case was closed. 3. The judge would rather the suspect pleaded guilty. 4. The accused wished he had not committed such a senseless crime, tests are usually relied on to supply the data. 5. It's obligatory that all the evidence be mentioned in the protocol.

2. Перепишите и письменно переведите следующие предложения, обращая внимание на предлоги.

1. Under the US Constitution a sitting President may be removed from office by an impeachment process whereby the House of Representatives, upon sufficient evidence, brings a “bill of impeachment” voted for by two-thirds of its members. 2. In order to be binding in law the agreement must include an offer and acceptance of that offer. 3. The English word “law” refers to limits upon various forms of behaviour.

3. Перепишите и письменно переведите следующий текст. Дайте определение слову “Legalese”.