Task 2. Listen to the interview with the American lawyer and fill in the blanks

Interviewer: Could you say a little about the role of the Supreme Court? Is it a … body?

Lawyer: Well, the idea behind the Supreme Court is to create a balance. There is the … branch - the President and his ability to veto; then there's the … role of the two Houses, and finally the … role of the Supreme Court. It wouldn't be right to say that the Supreme Court was political. Their job is to be experts on … law. When cases are brought to them, they check that legal decisions in question conform to constitutional law. It's the final court of appeal, if you like.

Interviewer: How many members of the Supreme Court are there?

Lawyer: There are …. This means that there is always a majority. Five to four is enough to pass a decision.

Interviewer: And how are they appointed?

Lawyer: They're appointed by the …. During Ronald Reagan's presidency, quite a few members of the Supreme Court retired, which gave him the opportunity to name several new …. He made some rather controversial choices.

Interviewer: So the Supreme Court is not free from controversy then?

Lawyer: By no means. You see, you can usually work out how each member is going to vote on any particular issue, because of their background and so on. So any new member is immediately the centre of attention for a while. The 'unknown factor' at the moment is Sandra Day O'Connor. She's a sort of wild card. No one knows for sure how she's going to … on any particular issue.

Interviewer: What about the other courts in the US?

Lawyer: Well, in each State there's a microcosm of the national system. Apart from Supreme Courts there are … courts, … courts and … courts. Even private courts.

Interviewer: … courts? Isn't that rather dangerous?

Lawyer: Yes, I would think so. But in the business world it's quite common for retired judges to be hired to arbitrate in industrial or commercial matters.

Interviewer: A sort of independent ….

Lawyer: That's right.

Interviewer: But isn't any … judicial system very open to corruption?

Lawyer: I think any system where power is involved is open to …. Remember the expression 'power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.' At least no one in the American system has … power!