английский язык: учебное пособие

2 UNIT I Courts Text A Courts and the judicial process usually bring to mind a picture of a judge, draped in a black robe, overseeing a trial. When a judge enters a courtroom, everyone rises and stands quietly until he or she sits behind the elevated bench and raps the gavel to start the proceedings. In courts composed of a number of members, it is common for judges to march in together quickly as if choreographed on cue to take their seats in a flourish of flowing robes. Loud talking or even whispering among court spectators is not permitted. At the U. S. Supreme Court severe-looking ushers holding long sticks roam the aisles, and they poke these sticks at individuals who talk too loudly or distract others from focusing on the front of the large courtroom. Called “the Marble Palace,” the U. S. Supreme Court building is very ornate, with high ceilings and decorated walls, polished floors, and long benches that resemble pews in a church. Reverence and respect are expected and enforced. Other courtrooms are less magnificent, but the floor plan, furniture arrangement, and the judge raised above everyone else are similar and clearly show who is in charge and what goes on. The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices, and the responsibility and power of these nine people are extraordinary. Supreme Court decisions can affect the lives of all Americans and can change society significantly. This has happened many times in the course of American history. In the past, Supreme Court rulings have halted actions by American presidents, have declared unconstitutional - and therefore void - laws passed by the Congress, have freed people from prisons and have given new protection to black Americans and other minorities. The Supreme Court is the court of final appeal and it rules in cases in which someone claims that a lower court ruling is unjust or there has been a violation of the United States Constitution. There are many federal courts in the system which has the Supreme Court as its head. In addition each state within the United States has established a system of courts, including a state supreme court, to deal with civil, criminal and appellate proceedings. There are also county and city courts. Even many of the smallest villages, those in which only a few hundred people live, have a local judge, called a “justice of the peace”, who handles minor legal matters. There are other specialized courts to handle matters ranging from tax questions to immigration violations. The potential for conflict within the society is still great, and it is no surprise that there are more than 542,000 lawyers in the United States and hundreds of thousands of court workers. Many cases that come before the Supreme Court involve charges that the police or a judge has violated the rights of a person accused of a crime. It doesn’t matter whether the person actually committed the crime or not; the Supreme Court 3 does not rule on the guilt or innocence of those accused, but only on whether or not laws and legal procedures conform to the Constitution. The Court rules on whether the individual’s right to due process - the proper and correct handling of a legal case - has been violated. If it has, the person must go free, possibly to stand trial again with due process guaranteed. It should also be noted that not all Americans are satisfied with all Supreme Court decisions. Many Americans believe that the court too often “takes the side of the criminals” in declaring proceedings invalid because an accused person’s rights have been violated. Others argue, however, that protecting the innocent is the real intent of these rulings, and that it is better to hav