Uk Court System
Courts in UK
Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales; they apply the law of England and Wales and are established under Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system—England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. There are exceptions to this rule; for example in immigration law, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal's jurisdiction covers the whole of the United Kingdom, while in employment law there is a single system of Employment Tribunals for England, Wales, and Scotland (but not Northern Ireland).
The Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Crown Court, the Magistrates' Courts, and the County Courts are administered by Her Majesty's Courts Service, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice.
Appellate Committee of the House of Lords
The House of Lords is the highest appeal court in almost all cases in England and Wales. The judicial functions of the House of Lords are entirely separate from its legislative role with only the Law Lords hearing the appeals from the Court of Appeal and the High Court. Its decisions are binding on all lower courts.
Its judicial functions were abolished by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873, but an election was held before the act came into force, and the new Parliament passed the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1875 which amended the first Act to preserve the House of Lords' judicial function. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 will transfer these functions to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The House is also the court of trial in impeachment cases, although impeachment in England is now obsolete.
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Privy Council is the highest court of appeal for the UK in a handful of areas of law, notably devolution matters. In addition, it is the highest court of appeal
Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales; they apply the law of England and Wales and are established under Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system—England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. There are exceptions to this rule; for example in immigration law, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal's jurisdiction covers the whole of the United Kingdom, while in employment law there is a single system of Employment Tribunals for England, Wales, and Scotland (but not Northern Ireland).
The Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Crown Court, the Magistrates' Courts, and the County Courts are administered by Her Majesty's Courts Service, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice.
Appellate Committee of the House of Lords
The House of Lords is the highest appeal court in almost all cases in England and Wales. The judicial functions of the House of Lords are entirely separate from its legislative role with only the Law Lords hearing the appeals from the Court of Appeal and the High Court. Its decisions are binding on all lower courts.
Its judicial functions were abolished by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873, but an election was held before the act came into force, and the new Parliament passed the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1875 which amended the first Act to preserve the House of Lords' judicial function. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 will transfer these functions to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The House is also the court of trial in impeachment cases, although impeachment in England is now obsolete.
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Privy Council is the highest court of appeal for the UK in a handful of areas of law, notably devolution matters. In addition, it is the highest court of appeal