Text 5 the state court systems

Exercise 5.1 Study the vocabulary:

1) state judicial system	1) судова система штату
2) diverse	2) різноманітний
3) inferior courts	3) нижчий суд
4) magistrate court	4) мировий суд
5) municipal court	5) муніципальний суд
6) justice of the peace court	6) мировий суд
7) police court	7) поліцейський суд
8) traffic court	8) суд у справах про порушення правил дорожнього руху
9) county court	9) суд округа
10) superior court	10) головний суд першої інстанції
11) suit	11) позов, судовий процес
12) grand larceny	12) велика крадіжка
13) jury trial	13) слухання справи в суді присяжних
14) juvenile court	14) суд у справах неповнолітніх
15) divorce court	15) суд у справах розірвання шлюбу
16) probate court	16) суд у справах спадщини
17) housing court	17) суд у справах житлових питань
18) small-claims court	18) суд, що розглядає дрібні позови

Exercise 5.2 Read and translate the text:

Today there are 50 states and thus fifty state judicial systems. The system of state courts is quite diverse; virtually no two states have identical judiciaries. In general, however, the states, like the federal government, have a hierarchically organized system of general courts along with a group of special courts.

The lowest level of state courts, often known generically as the inferior courts, may include any of the following: magistrate court, municipal court, justice of the peace court, police court, traffic court, and county court. Such tribunals, often quite informal, handle only minor civil and criminal cases. More serious offenses are heard in superior court, also known as state district court, circuit court, and by a variety of other names. The superior courts, usually organized by counties, hear appeals from the inferior courts and have original jurisdiction over major civil suits and serious crimes such as grand larceny. It is here that most of the nation's jury trials occur.

The highest state court, usually called the appellate court, state court of appeals, or state supreme court, generally hears appeals from the state superior courts and, in some instances, has original jurisdiction over particularly important cases.

A number of the larger states, such as New York, also have intermediate appellate courts between the superior courts and the state's highest court. Additionally, a state may have any of a wide variety of special tribunals, usually on the inferior court level, including juvenile court, divorce court, probate court, family court, housing court, and small-claims court. In all, there are more than 1,000 state courts of various types, and their judges, who may be either appointed or elected, handle the overwhelming majority of trials held in the United States each year.

Exercise 5.3 Choose the best variant:

1. How many state judicial systems are there in the U.S.?

a. 30;

b. 50;

c. 55.

2. Are there any difference between state court systems?

a) the system of state courts is quite diverse;

b) there is no difference;

c) there is a difference only between some courts.

3. What is lowest level of the state courts?

a) district courts;

b) appellate courts;

c) inferior courts.

4. What kind of cases do the lowest state courts deal with?

a) minor civil and criminal cases;

b) minor civil cases;

c) serious civil and criminal cases.

5. What kind of cases do the superior courts deal with?

a) appeals from the inferior courts;

b) appeals from the inferior courts, civil suits and serious criminal cases;

c) more serious criminal cases.

6. What is the function of the state supreme court?

a) to hear appeals from the state superior courts;

b) to hear particularly important cases;

c) to hear appeals from the state superior courts and, in some instances, particularly important cases.

7. Where do the intermediate appellate courts exist?

a) in a number of the larger states;

b) in all the states;

c) in New York state.

Exercise 5.4 Replace the following words:

1. Virtually no two states have various judiciaries.

2. More serious offences are heard in inferior court, also known as state district court.

3. The most of the nation's civil trials occur in the superior courts.

4. A number of the larger states also have intermediate appellate courts between the inferior courts and the superior court.

5. A state may have any of a wide variety of special tribunals, usually on the apellate court level, including juvenile court, divorce court, probate court, family court, housing court, and small-claims court.

6. The jurors, who may be either appointed or elected, handle the overwhelming majority of courts held in the United States each year.

Exercise 5.5 Choose the correct variant:

1. The states, like the federal government, have a hierarchically organized system of general courts along with a group of ________courts.

a) district;

b) appellate;

c) special

2. More _________are heard in superior court, also known as state district court, circuit court, and by a variety of other names.

a) minor cases;

b) serious offenses;

c) criminal offenses

3. The superior courts are usually organized by _________.

a) countries;

b) states;

c) counties

4. The superior courts hear appeals from the inferior courts and have original jurisdiction over major civil suits and serious crimes such as grand __________.

a) larceny;

b) murder;

c) theft

5. In all, there are more than 1,000 _________ courts of various types.

a) Appellate;

b) federal;

c) state

Exercise 5.6 Put the sentences into the correct order: