Harley Davidson Trial

Contents
Introduction………………………..………………………….…... 2
1 The nature of law. ………..……………….………………….. 5 1.1 Historical background……………………………………….. 6
1.2 Trial by jury……..……………………….…………………...7
1.3 Magna Carta…………………………………………………. 8
2 Administration of justice in Britain…………………………...9
2.1 The English law……………………….…………….…………9
3.2 Scots Law……….……………………………………….…. 9
3.3 The Parliament of the United Kingdom………...………….11
3 Classifications of law…….……………………………………13
3.1 Civil law……………………………………………………...14
3.2 Criminal law……..…..……………………………………….14
3.3 Constitutional law…………..……………………………….15
3.3.3 State and legal structure……..……………………………..15
Magna Carta was the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects, the feudal barons, in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. It was preceded and directly influenced by the Charter of Liberties in 1100, in which King Henry I had specified particular areas wherein his powers would be limited. Despite its recognised importance, by the second half of the 19th century nearly all of its clauses had been repealed in their original form. Three clauses remain part of the law of England and Wales, however, and it is generally considered part of the uncodified constitution. Lord Denning described it as "the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot". In a 2005 speech, Lord Woolf described it as first of a series of instruments that now are recognised as having a special constitutional status [9, p.321], the others being the Habeas Corpus Act, the Petition of Right, the Bill of Rights, and the Act of
The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber. The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster (commonly known as the "Houses of Parliament"), in the City of Westminster in London. By constitutional convention, all government ministers, including the Prime Minister, are members of the House of Commons or House of Lords. Parliament evolved from the early medieval councils that advised the sovereigns of England and Scotland. In theory, power is vested not in Parliament, but in the "Queen-in-Parliament" (or "King-in-Parliament"). The Queen-in-Parliament is often, incorrectly, said to be a completely sovereign authority. In 2002 Thoburn v Sunderland City Council confirmed in English law the principle of the supremacy of EU law over national law (see Costa v. ENEL and Van Gend en Loos). In modern times, real power is vested in the House of Commons and the European Commission; the Sovereign acts only as a figurehead and the powers of the House of Lords are greatly