JUSTICE
The English have given (Present Perfect Active) the world the system of English law that has (Present Simple Active) its origins in Anglo-Saxon times. Two of its hallmarks are (Present Simple Active) its preference for customary law (the common law), and its system of application by locally appointed part-time magistrates, by locally chosen juries, and by the travelling judges going from one county town to another on circuit. Other aspects of the English law are (Present Simple Active) the fundamental assumption that an accused person is deemed (Present Simple Passive) innocent until proved guilty and the independence of the judiciary from intervention by crown or government in the judicial process. The legal system is divided (Present Simple Passive) into civil and criminal courts. The House of Lords is (Present Simple Active) the ultimate court of appeal for both civil and criminal cases. At the base of the criminal court system, the magistrates’ courts try (Present Simple Active) more than 97 percent of the criminal cases. More serious criminal cases then go (Present Simple Active) to the Crown Court, which has (Present Simple Active) 90 branches in different towns and cities. In 1971 the Crown Courts replaced (Past Simple Active) the individual courts, and it is (Present Simple Active) now a single court that may sit (Present Simple Active) anywhere in England, deal with (Present Simple Active) any trial on indictment, and hear (Present Simple Active) appeals and proceedings either on a sentence or on civil matters. Civil cases are dealt with (Present Simple Passive) in County courts. Certain cases may be referred (Present Simple Passive) to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The legal system of Great Britain also includes (Present Simple Active) juvenile courts which deal with (Present Simple Active) offenders under seventeen, and coroners’ courts which investigate (Present Simple Active) violent or unnatural death. Tribunals deal with (Present Simple Active) professional standards, disputes between individuals, and between individuals and government departments.
