Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Courts 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 another. In the area of immigration law, the jurisdiction of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission covers all of the United Kingdom; and in employment law Employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal have jurisdiction in the whole of Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland.)
The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 creates a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to take over the judicial functions of the Law Lords in the House of Lords and some functions from the Judicial committee of the Privy Council. When it starts in 2009 it will serve as the highest court of appeal from the courts of England and Wales and of Northern Ireland and for civil cases from the Court of Session of Scotland (but not criminal cases, where the High Court of Justiciary remains the supreme court of Scotland).

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