A trial at the Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermann's Microcosm of London (1808-11). The Central Criminal Court in England, commonly known as the Old Bailey, is a court London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

A court is a public forum used by a power base to adjudicate disputes and dispense civil, labour, administrative and criminal justice under its laws. Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or Judge reviews evidence and argumentation including legal Reasoning Private law (Civil law is that part of a Legal system that involves relationships between individuals Criminal justice is the system of practices and organizations used by national and local governments directed at maintaining Social control, deterring JUSTICE is a Human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society In common law and civil law states, courts are the central means for dispute resolution, and it is generally understood that all persons have an ability to bring their claims before a court. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world. The term State has several meanings in law in Private international law and Conflict of laws, State can refer to a well-defined jurisdiction with its own set Dispute resolution is the process of resolving disputes between parties. Similarly, those accused of a crime have the right to present their defense before a court.

Court facilities range from a simple farmhouse for a village court in a rural community to huge buildings housing dozens of courtrooms in large cities.

A court is a kind of deliberative assembly with special powers, called its jurisdiction, to decide certain kinds of judicial questions or petitions put to it. In Law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak" is the practical Authority It will typically consist of one or more presiding officers, parties and their attorneys, bailiffs, reporters, and perhaps a jury. A jury a sworn body of persons convened to render a rational, impartial Verdict (a finding of fact on a question officially submitted to them

The term "court" is often used to refer to the president of the court, also known as the "judge" or the "bench", or the panel of such officials. For example, in the United States, and other common law jurisdictions, the term "court" (in the case of U. S. federal courts) by law is used to describe the judge himself or herself. ^[1]

In the United States, the legal authority of a court to take action is based on three pillars of power over the parties to the litigation: (1) Personal jurisdiction; (2) Subject matter jurisdiction; and (3) Venue.

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction, meaning "to speak the law" is the power of a court over a person or claim. In the United States, a court must have both personal jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction. Personal jurisdiction in United States law refers to a court's power over a particular defendant ( In personam jurisdiction or an item of property Subject-matter jurisdiction is the authority of a Court to hear cases of a particular type or cases relating to a specific subject matter Each state establishes a court system for the territory under its control. This system allocates work to courts or authorized individuals by granting both civil and criminal jurisdiction (in the United States, this is termed subject-matter jurisdiction). In Law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak" is the practical Authority Criminal jurisdiction is a term used in Constitutional law and Public law to describe the power of Courts to hear a case brought by a state accusing The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Subject-matter jurisdiction is the authority of a Court to hear cases of a particular type or cases relating to a specific subject matter The grant of power to each category of court or individual may stem from a provision of a written constitution or from an enabling statute. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity A statute is a formal written enactment of a Legislative authority that governs a Country, State, City, or County. In English law, jurisdiction may be inherent, deriving from the common law origin of the particular court. English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of Common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countriesand the Inherent Jurisdiction is a doctrine of the English Common law that a Superior court has the Jurisdiction to hear any matter that comes before

Trial and appellate courts

Courts may be classified as trial courts (sometimes termed "courts of first instance") and appellate courts. In Law, an appeal is a process for requesting a formal change to an official decision Some trial courts may function with a judge and a jury: juries make findings of fact under the direction of the judge who reaches conclusions of law and, in combination, this represents the judgment of the court. A judge, or justice, is an Official who presides over a Court of law A jury a sworn body of persons convened to render a rational, impartial Verdict (a finding of fact on a question officially submitted to them Generally a fact is defined as something that is true something that actually exists or something that can be verified according to an established standard of evaluation In non-legal contexts a judgment is a balanced weighing up of evidence preparatory to making a decision In other trial courts, decisions of both fact and law are made by the judge or judges. Juries are less common in court systems outside the Anglo-American common law tradition. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive

Civil law courts and common law courts

The two major models for courts are the civil law courts and the common law courts. Civil law courts are based upon the judicial system in France, while the common law courts are based on the judicial system in Britain. In most civil law jurisdictions, courts function under an inquisitorial system. Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world. This article is about the inquisitorial system for organizing court proceedings In the common law system, most courts follow the adversarial system. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive The adversarial system (or adversary system) of law is the system of law generally adopted in Common law countries that relies on the skill of each advocate Procedural law governs the rules by which courts operate: civil procedure for private disputes (for example); and criminal procedure for violation of the criminal law. Procedural law comprises the rule by which a court hears and determines what happens in civil or criminal proceedings The rules are designed to ensure Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the process that Courts will follow when hearing cases of a civil nature (a " Civil action " as opposed to Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated Criminal law. The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different Jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential

Tribunal

Main article: Tribunal

Further information: arbitration. Tribunal is a generic term for any body acting judicially whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title Arbitration, a form of Alternative dispute resolution (ADR is a legal technique for the resolution of Disputes outside the Courts wherein the

Notes

See also

General

• Sanctions (law)
• International judicial institution
• International Criminal Court
• List of people who have acted as their own attorney

Types and organization of courts

• Appellate court
• Constitutional Court
• Court of Faculties
• Court-martial
• Courts of England and Wales
• Ecclesiastical court
• Equity court
• Family court
• High Court of Justiciary
• Revolutionary Tribunal (French Revolution)
• Scots Law
• Scottish Court Service
• Supreme court
• Trial court

External links

• US federal courts
• Courtprep, Information about the Canadian justice process, features an interactive courtroom and witness tips. Sanctions are usually monetary fines, levied against a party to a Legal action or his/her Attorney, for violating rules of procedure International judicial institutions can be divided into Courts arbitral Tribunals and quasi-judicial institutions The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for Genocide, crimes against Some legal jurisdictions permit defendants to act as their own Attorneys during a trial (Pro Se is the legal term Court of Appeal, Court of Appeals, and Appellate Division redirect here for a list of specific courts using those titles see Court of Appeal A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with Constitutional law. Under English Ecclesiastical law, the Court of Faculties is a tribunal of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and is attached to the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a Military court. These military courts can determine Punishments for members of the Military subject Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal Courts responsible for the administration of Justice in England An ecclesiastical court (also called "Court Christian" or "Court Spiritual" is any of certain Courts having Jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or A chancery court, Equity court or court of equity is a court that is authorized to apply principles of equity (as opposed to law to cases brought For family court in Hong Kong see Family Court (Hong Kong A family court is a Court convened to decide matters and make orders in The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland. The Revolutionary Tribunal (Tribunal révolutionnaire was a Court which was instituted in Paris by the Convention during the French Revolution The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Scots law is a unique legal system with an ancient basis in Roman law. The Scottish Court Service is an executive agency of the Scottish Government responsible for the administration the of the Court system in Scotland A supreme court, also called a court of last resort or high court, is in some Jurisdictions the highest judicial body within that jurisdiction's A trial court or court of first instance is the Court in which most civil or criminal cases begin