The court system of the russian federation
Section 1
The Russian Court System
Exercise 1
Pronunciation practice
Practise saying the words.
a) [ɔ:] law; source
[(j)u:] supreme; review; newly-discovered; include; rulings; adjudicate; dispute
[dʒ] major; majority; jurisdiction; judicial; regional, general; legislative
[ʌ] judgment; justice; subject; function; govern; government
[ʃ] constitution; constitutional; commercial; federation; initial
[ai] trial; crime; highest; binding; final
[s] peace; civil; instance; circumstance; practice
[k] courts; claim;circumstance; constituent; component; contradict
[ʒ] decision; supervision
[i]within; business; entity; written; legal
[tʃ] chamber
[u:] group
b)Mind the stress:
inde´pendent; a´ppellate; ad´ministrative;com´ponent
c)Practise saying the words:
Courts of General Jurisdiction; Commercial Courts; the Russian Federation Constitutional Court, Justices of peace; district courts; regional courts; the Supreme Court; the highest judicial body; trial courts; appellate courts; military courts; the Military Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
Exercise 2
Match the English word combinations with their Russian equivalents.
| 1. trial courts | a. решение (суда) |
| 2. district court | b. исковое требование на небольшую сумму |
| 3. general jurisdiction | c. общая юрисдикция |
| 4. rulings of the court | d. арбитражный суд |
| 5. commercial court (RF) | e. мировой судья |
| 6. small claims | f. районный суд |
| 7. Justice of the peace | g. суд первой инстанции |
Exercise 3
Grammar focus 4. Participles. Revision.
| Participle II = a regular verb + ed OR III form of an irregular verb Participle I = Verb + ing |
k) Make participles:
| Verb | Participle I | Participle II |
| write | ||
| contradict | ||
| review | ||
| concern | ||
| make | ||
| govern | ||
| bind |
b) Use the appropriate form of the verbs (Participle I, Participle II) in the sentences. Translate the sentences:
1. The US Constitution is the basic …. set of principles and precedents of federal government in the US. (to write)
2. This advocate often talks in circles, often ….. himself and often ends up saying nothing. (to contradict)
3. The Supreme Court explains questions ……. judicial practice. (to concern)
Text 1
THE COURT SYSTEM IN RUSSIA
Pre-reading tasks:
a) Answer the following questions using your background knowledge:
What sources of law do you know?
What do you think is the primary source of law in Russia?
Are there criminal and civil courts in our country?
Are there any specialized courts in our country? What cases do they consider?
b) Skim the text and divide it into the logical parts. Entitle them.
Russia belongs to the continental legal system, and a written law is the main legal source. So, the supreme law in Russia is the Constitution. Other major legal sources include federal constitutional laws and federal laws. Any law cannot contradictthe Constitution.
The Russian court system is composed of three independent parts. They are
(1) the Courts of General Jurisdiction;
(2) the Commercial (Arbitrazh) Courts;
(3) the Russian Federation Constitutional Court.
The Courts of General Jurisdiction include Justices of the peace, District courts, Regional courts and the Supreme Court.
Justices of the peace resolvesmall claims at the local level.
District (rayon) courts function as courts of first instance and courts of appeals for decisions of justices of the peace. These courts make initial decisions in the majority of criminal and civil cases.
Regional (oblast) courts serve as trial courts in more serious crimes and civil matters, and as appellate courts reviewing district court’s judgments.
The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body within the courts of general jurisdiction. It hears civil, administrative, criminal, and other cases by way of supervision and for newly discovered circumstances. The Supreme Court may issue explanations on questions concerning judicial practice.
The military courts are included into the system of courts of general jurisdiction. They include garrison, district (navy) courts and the Military Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
The Commercial Courts adjudicate commercial and economic disputes between business entities. These courts are organized at the level of constituent components of the Russian Federation.
The RF Constitutional Court adjudicates matters governed by the RF Constitution. Rulingsof the Constitutional Court are binding and final. Some subjects of the Russian Federation have their own "subject" constitutional courts (14 courts) and also charter courts (4 courts).
Exercise 4