⇢ Нужен срочно перевод! Judges in Great Britain.
Judges in Great Britain.
In Britain, the vast majority of judges (that is, the people who decide what
should be done with people who commit crimes) are unpaid. They are
called “Magistrates”, or “Justices of the Peace” (JPs).
They are ordinary citizens who are selected not because they have
any legal training but because they have “common sense” and understand
their fellow human beings. They work voluntarily. They are appointed by
the Lord Chancellor on the recommendation of local advisory committees.
A case is usually heard by a bench of three magistrates who are
advised on the law by the clerk of the court. There are about 30,000
magistrates and they hear over 90 per cent of criminal cases.
Besides, there is a small proportion of district judges. These are fulltime
paid judges appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the
Lord Chancellor. There are about 100 district judges in England and
Wales. They sit in the magistrates’ courts in the larger cities, particularly in
London. A case is usually heard by a single district judge. Barristers or
solicitors of seven years’ experience can be appointed district judges.
A distinctive feature of the British system in comparison with many
continental systems is that it does not have law schools training judges.
Judges are chosen from lawyers who gained considerable
experience as legal practitioners before they are appointed to the judiciary.
In continental systems a law graduate can choose to be a judge at the
beginning of his/her career. In Great Britain they cannot.
The vast majority of judges are magistrates. A small proportion of
judges are not magistrates. They are called “High Court Judges” and they
deal with the most serious crimes, such as those for which the criminal
must be sent to prison for more than a year. High Court Judges are paid
salaries by the state and have considerable legal training.
The work of judges is not easy. They even make mistakes
sometimes. These mistakes are often overruled by appeal courts. People
usually say that the judge has ‘power over the lives and livelihood’ of all
litigants who enter the court. . The judge’s decision may frequently affect
the interests of individuals and groups of people who are not present in
court. That’s why it’s true to say that the judge has burdensome
responsibilities to make decisions. That’s why we say that the judge’s work
is not easy.