Chapter 5: The UK Government, the Law and Your Role

The Role of the Courts

最后核查：15 July 2026

• 1The judiciary — judges — interpret the law and ensure trials are conducted fairly; judges are independent of the government.
• 2The government cannot interfere in judges' decisions about legal disputes; sometimes judges rule that government actions are illegal, and the government must change its policies or ask Parliament to change the law.
• 3Judges also decide disputes between members of the public and legal cases against public bodies and newspapers.
• 4Minor criminal cases: in England, Wales and Northern Ireland they are heard in a Magistrates' Court; in Scotland, in a Justice of the Peace Court.
• 5Magistrates (also called Justices of the Peace, JPs) are usually members of the local community; in England and Wales they are unpaid, need no legal qualifications, and receive training; in Northern Ireland cases are heard by a District Judge or Deputy District Judge, who is legally qualified and paid.
• 6Serious criminal offences: in England, Wales and Northern Ireland they are tried in a Crown Court before a judge and a jury of 12 members.
• 7In Scotland, serious cases are heard in a Sheriff Court (sheriff alone or with a jury), and the most serious cases (e.g. murder) in the High Court with a judge and a jury of 15 members.
• 8Juries are made up of members of the public chosen at random from the local electoral register.
• 9A jury decides the verdict of "guilty" or "not guilty" (and in Scotland a third verdict is possible: "not proven"); if the verdict is guilty, the judge decides the penalty.
• 10Youth justice: accused people aged 10 to 17 are usually tried in a Youth Court before up to three specially trained magistrates or a District Judge.
• 11The most serious youth cases go to a Crown Court; a young defendant's parents/carers are expected to attend; members of the public are not admitted to Youth Courts and the young person's name and photo cannot be published in the media.
• 12Scotland uses the Children's Hearings System to deal with children and young people who have offended; Northern Ireland uses a youth conferencing system to consider how a child should be dealt with.
• 13Civil disputes: County Courts deal with a wide range of civil cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (e.g. debt, personal injury, breach of contract, divorce, housing); in Scotland most civil cases are handled by the Sheriff Court.
• 14More serious civil cases (e.g. large compensation claims) go to the High Court in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to the Court of Session in Edinburgh in Scotland.
• 15The small claims procedure is an informal way to settle minor disputes without a lawyer — used for claims under £10,000 in England and Wales, and under £3,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• 16Small claims can usually be started online or through local courts; the hearing is in front of a judge in an ordinary room with both parties present.
• 17Solicitors are trained lawyers who advise clients, prepare legal documents and represent people in court; find one via the Citizens Advice Bureau or the Law Society, and always check charges and the solicitor's specialism up front.