法律英语 第四课 司法系统.doc

Lesson 4 Judicial System第四课 司法系统1. HOW ARE STATE-LEVEL COURTS ORGANIZED IN ILLINOIS? 一、伊利诺斯的州级法院是怎样组成的？In 1964, Illinois became the first state in the nation to adopt a truly unified court system - that is, a system with a uniform structure throughout the entire state and with centralized, rather than local, administration and rule-making. 1964年，伊利诺斯成为全美第一个实行真正意义上统一法院体系的州。这一体制包括整个州统一的法院结构，以及集中的而非地方的行政和管理体制。Prior to the 1964 reorganization, Illinois had a variety of different courts, including justice-of-the-peace courts and police magistrate courts. 1964年重组之前，伊利诺斯有各种不同的法院，包括治安法院和督察法院。Court unification eliminated all courts at the trial level except the circuit courts, thus creating a single, unified, statewide court system.在初审这一等级上，法院统一工作取消了除巡回法院以外所有的法院，创造了一个单一的、统一的、全州范围的法院体系。Illinois court system has three levels, with trial, intermediate appellate, and supreme courts. 伊利诺斯的法院体系有三个等级：初审法院、中级上诉法院和最高法院：（注意用词的规范）The vast majority of felony and misdemeanor cases are heard and resolved in the trial - or circuit - courts, the first tier in the system. l Felony 重罪l Misdemeanor 轻罪l the trial courts 和the circuit courts是什么关系？考虑前面出现过的内容。绝大多数的重罪和轻罪案件在初审法院即巡回法院进行审理和判决，巡回法院是这一体系中的第一个等级。Circuit courts are responsible for reviewing the facts of a case and rendering a disposition. l Disposition 提出的判决巡回法院负责审查案件的事实并作出判决。The second tier in the system is a single, intermediate court of appeals, and the third tier is the Illinois Supreme Court, which can have either original or appellate jurisdiction, depending on the case. 体系中的第二等级是独立的中级上诉法院，第三等级是伊利诺斯最高法院，最高法院可以根据具体案情，对于案件的初审和上诉进行裁决。While all 50 states have courts of last resort (which Illinois calls the Supreme Court), Illinois is one of only 37 states that have intermediate courts of appeal. 虽然全美50个州均有终审法院（伊利斯称之为最高法院），伊利诺斯是有中级上诉法院的37个州之一。The Appellate and Supreme courts in Illinois are responsible for seeing that the law was properly interpreted and applied in particular cases tried in the circuit courts.伊利诺斯的上诉法院和最高法院负责审查巡回法院在审理具体案件时解释和运用法律是否适当。Trial courts, which are located in each of the states 102 counties, are organized into 22 judicial circuits. 全州102个县都设有初审法院，并分为22个司法巡回区。Most judicial circuits contain several counties; however, in three of Illinois most populous counties - Cook, DuPage, and Will - the county represents a single judicial circuit.大多数司法巡回区都包括几个县，但在伊利诺斯人口最多的三个县库克县、杜佩支县和威尔县每个县即为一个独立的司法巡回区。Within some circuits, responsibilities may be divided between lower-level and higher-level trial courts. 在某些巡回区，“低级”初审法庭和“高级”初审法庭承担不同的职责。Under Illinois unified court system, however, this distinction is purely administrative: cases heard in both types of courts are actually heard by the same Circuit Court. 在伊利诺斯统一法院体系下，这种区别仅仅是行政性的，在这两类法庭中审理的案件实际上都是由同一个巡回法院审理的。Lower-level trial courts are primarily responsible for processing misdemeanor cases, all the way from initial court hearings through trial and sentencing. “低级”法庭一般负责审理轻罪案件，包括从最初的法庭听证到审理和判决。These courts may also conduct bond and preliminary hearings in felony cases. l Bond 保释l preliminary hearings 预审听证这些法庭也可以在重罪案件中决定保释和预审听证。Higher-level courts, on the other hand, generally conduct felony trials. “高级”法庭般审理重罪案件。As a rule, each felony trial court is presided over by a circuit judge, who is elected to a six-year term by the voters in that judicial circuit. 按规定，每个重罪初审法庭由一个巡回法官主持，该法官由该司法巡回区的选民选举产生，任期6年。When a circuit judgeship is vacant or newly created, candidates are nominated in partisan primary elections and are elected in the general election. l Judgeship 法官职位当巡回法官职位空缺或新设时，候选人先经本党初选提名，然后参加普选。Once the term of a judge who has been previously elected expires, the judge may submit his or her name to the voters, without an opposing candidate, on the sole question of whether the judge should be retained for another six-year term. 当选的法官任期届满时，该法官可以向选民提出自己的名字，在没有竞争对手的情况下，征求能否连任6年的意见。To be retained, sitting judges must receive affirmative votes from at least 60 percent of those voting on the matter.如要连任，在任法官必须至少获得60的赞成票。The circuit judges in each circuit select from within their ranks a chief judge who, subject to the authority of the Illinois Supreme Court, has certain administrative powers for the circuit. 每一个巡回区的巡回法官在本巡回区内推举出一名首席法官，该首席法官在伊利诺斯最高法院的领导下，对该巡回区具有一定的行政权力。For example, the chief judge has the right to establish general or specialized divisions of the court for administrative purposes.例如，首席法官有权为行政目的设置一般的或特别的法院分庭。Each circuit also has a certain number of associate judges, who are usually limited to duties within the lower level trial courts. l associate judge： 陪审法官每个巡回区还有一定数量的陪审法官，他们的职责通常限于“低级”初审法院。At the beginning of 1988, there were 378 circuit judges and 367 associate judges in Illinois. 在1988年初，伊利诺斯有378名巡回法官和367名陪审法官。Approximately 46 percent of the state s circuit and associate judges serve in the Cook County Circuit Court, which is not only the largest judicial circuit in Illinois but also the largest general jurisdiction trial court in the country.伊利诺斯州大约有46的巡回法官和陪审法官在库克县巡回法院工作，该法院不仅是伊利诺斯最大的巡回法院，也是全美最大的具有一般司法管辖权的初审法院。In practice, the difference between higher-and lower-level trial courts depends on the size and complexity of the circuit. 实际上，“高级”和“低级”初审法庭的区分取决于巡回区的大小和复杂程度。In circuits that hear relatively few criminal cases, all proceedings may take place in a single court where both circuit and associate judges preside over their respective functions. 在刑事案件审理工作相时较少的巡回区，所有程序都可在一个法庭进行，巡回法官和陪审法官各自负责自己的工作。In Cook County, on the other hand, court functions and facilities are more strictly defined.而在库克县，法院的功能和设施则是区分比较严格的。Because of the tremendous volume of cases it handles, the Circuit Court of Cook County is divided into two departments: the Municipal Department and the County Department. 由于需要处理大量的案件，库克县的巡回法院分为两个部分：城市部和县部。The Municipal Department consists of six geographic districts, which are further divided into Criminal and Civil divisions. 城市部由6个按地理划分的区组成，每个区再分为刑事分庭和民事分庭。In the 1st Municipal District, which encompasses the City of Chicago, specialized preliminary hearing courts have been established. 在包含芝加哥市在内的第一城市区，设有专门的预审听证法庭。Each of these courts concentrates on cases involving particular offenses, such as homicide, auto theft, and sexual assault. 这类法院主要审理具体的犯罪案件，如杀人、汽车盗窃和强奸等。In addition, the 1st Municipal District has a preliminary hearing court that deals exclusively with repeat offenders. l Repeat offenders 累犯，惯犯此外，第一城市区有一个专门负责针对累犯的预审听证法庭。Generally, the types of criminal proceedings heard in the Municipal Department are either misdemeanor cases or felony preliminary hearings.一般情况下，城市部负责的刑事诉讼程序包括轻罪的审判和重罪的预审听证。Felony cases bound over for trial are heard in the County Departments Criminal Division. 重罪案件在县部的刑事分庭接受审判。These cases are heard at one of three locations: Chicago, Markham. or Skokie. 这些案件由芝加哥、马克汉姆或斯考基三个地方之一的法庭审理。The Criminal Division, in conjunction with the Cook County State s Attorneys Office, also operates the Career Criminal Program, which focuses on the identification and prosecution of habitual offenders. l habitual offenders 惯犯刑事分庭与库克县的州检察官办事处共同负责专门的刑事程序，重点针对惯犯的鉴别和起诉。Besides the Criminal Division, the County Department has seven other divisions: the Chancery, County, Domestic Relations, Juvenile, Law, Probate, and Support divisions.除了刑事分庭外，县部还有7个其它分庭：衡平法庭、县分庭、家庭关系分庭、未成年犯分庭、法律分庭、遗嘱分庭以及抚养分庭。2. HOW ARE ILLINOIS APPELLATE AND SUPREME COURTS ORGANIZED? 二、伊利诺斯上诉法院和最高法院是怎样组成的？The Illinois Appellate Court is the first court of appeal for all criminal cases except those involving the death penalty (which arc automatically appealed directly from the Circuit Court to the Illinois Supreme Court) and those criminal appeals in which an applicable deferral or state statute has been held invalid. 伊利诺斯上诉法院是审理除了两类案件以外所有刑事案件的首家上诉法院。第一类是判处死刑的案件，此类案件自动地由巡回法院直接上诉至伊利诺斯最高法院。第二类是适用于该刑事案件的延期规定或州法令被认为无效的上诉案件。Either the defense or the prosecution may appeal rulings of the trial court. 被告方和公诉方都可以对初审法院的判决提出上诉。However, because the law protects a defendant from being tried twice for the same crime, the prosecution cannot appeal a not-guilty verdict.由于法律保护被告方不因同一罪行而两度受审，所以公诉方不得就无罪判决提出上诉。The main function of both the Appellate and Supreme courts in Illinois is to ensure that the trial court correctly interpreted the law in a given case. 伊利诺斯上诉法院和最高法院的主要工作是确保初审法院在审判中正确无误地解释法律。For example, the defense may argue before the Appellate Court that unconstitutionally obtained evidence was admitted by the trial court. l unconstitutionally obtained evidence 不符宪法规定而获得的证据；非法获得的证据例如，被告可以向上诉法院指控初审法院允许使用非法获得的证据。The Appellate Court can take one of several actions on such an appeal. 对这一上诉，上诉法院可以采取如下措施：It can deny the petition for appeal outright. Or, if the court decides the appeal has merit, it can affirm, reverse, modify, or vacate the original decision, or it can remand the case back to the lower court for reconsideration. l Petition 请求, 恳求, 请愿l Outright 直率地, 痛快地, 立刻地, 全部地l Remand 归还, 还押它可以直接驳回上诉请求；如果它认为上诉有法律依据，可以维持原判、推翻原判、更改原判或撤消原判；它也可以将案件发回下级法院重新审理。In the latter instance, the Appellate Court may order a new trial, but specify that the questionable evidence that had been introduced in the first trial be held inadmissible in the new trial. 在后一种情况下，上诉法院可以命令重审，但要说明原审使用过的不可靠证据在新的审判中不得采用。Under certain limited circumstance, decisions of the Appellate Court can be appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court, the highest court in the state.在某些有限的情况下，上诉法院的判决可以再向伊利诺斯州最高法院（该州最高等级的法院）提起上诉。The Illinois Appellate Court is divided into five judicial districts. Except for the 1st District, which covers only Cook County, each appellate district includes either five or six judicial circuits. 伊利诺斯上诉法院分为五个司法区，除第一区只包括库克县外，每个上诉区包括五至六个司法巡回区。Appellate Court justices are elected to 10-year terms by the voters in their districts in a process similar to that used for Circuit Court judges. 上诉法院的法官由所在区的选民选出，任期为10年。其选举程序与巡回法官的选举程序相似。 As of November 1988, there were 46 justices presiding over the Illinois Appellate Court: 21 in the 1st District, 8 in the 2nd District, 5 each in the 3rd and 4th districts, and 7 in the 5th District.如在1988年11月，伊利诺斯州上诉法院有46名法官：第一区21名，第二区8名，第三、四区各5名，第五区7名。Seven justices sit on the Illinois Supreme Court. 伊利诺斯最高法院有7名大法官。Each Supreme Court justice is elected, in a process similar to that used for appellate and circuit judges, to a 10-year term from one of the five appellate districts; 每位大法官选举产生的程序与巡回法官和上诉法官的选举程序相似，从五个上诉区中选举产生，任期为10年，three Supreme Court justices are elected from the 1st District, and one justice is elected from each of the other four districts. 其中三名最高法院大法官从第一分区选出，其余四个分区各选出一名。Supreme Court justices preside jointly over all cases that come before the Court.凡提交该法院的案件，均由最高法院大法官共同审理。In addition to its role as the state s highest court, the Supreme Court oversees the operations of all subordinate courts in the state. 最高法院为州内最高等级的法院，除此以外，它还监督本州所有下属法院的工作。Illinois courts are administered by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, who is elected by the seven Supreme Court justices. 伊利诺斯各法院由最高法院首席大法官领导，首席大法官由7位最高法院大法官选出。In this administrative role, the chief justice is assisted by the director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC). 伊利诺斯法院行政办公室(AOIC)主任协助首席大法官处理行政事务。Among its administrative duties, the Illinois Supreme Court sets forth rules for trial procedures and appeals, and can assign additional judges to the Appellate and Circuit courts. 伊利诺斯最高法院的行政职责，包括制定审判程序和上诉规则，给上诉法院和巡回法院增派法官。Although the lower courts have some degree of autonomy, final authority for their administration and operation rests with the state Supreme Court.虽然下级法院享有一定程度的自治，但其行政和运作的最终权力则在州最高法院。3. HOW ARE THE FEDERAL COURTS ORGANIZED IN ILLINOIS? 三、联邦法院是怎样在伊利诺斯组成的？Like Illinois state courts, the federal court system has three tiers. 和伊利诺斯的州法院一样，联邦法院系统也有三个等级。The lowest tier is made up of the 94 U.S. District courts nationwide, which are organized along state lines. 最低等级的由全国94个联邦地区法院组成，按州系统组建。These courts serve as the trial courts of original jurisdiction in federal matters, such as offenses that occur on federal property or that affect interstate commerce, interstate crimes such as drug trafficking, and criminal offenses related to national security. 这些法院是对涉及联邦事务的案件进行初审的法院，这类案件包括：针对联邦财产的犯罪案件或影响州际贸易的犯罪案件、毒品交易等州际犯罪案件，以及与国家安全有关的犯罪案件。Three U.S. District courts are located in Illinois: the Northern District, which is administratively based in Chicago; the Central District, based in Springfield; and the Southern District, based in East St. Louis.伊利诺斯设有三个联邦地区法院：北区，行政区划在芝加哥；中区，在斯普林非尔德；南区，在东圣路易斯。Judicial candidates for the District Court are nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the U. S. Senate. 地区法院的法官候选人由总统提名，必须经美国参议院批准。Their appointments are for life. 他们终身任职。In addition to these federal judges, U.S. magistrates also serve in the District Court. 除了这些联邦法官外，联邦司法官员也在地区法院工作。U. S. magistrates are public civil officers vested with limited judicial powers: they hear cases involving petty offenses, and they conduct preliminary stages of felony cases and some civil matters. 联邦司法官是享有有限司法权力的公共文职官员，他们负责听证涉及轻罪的案件，处理重罪案件预审阶段的工作以及一些民事案件。U.S. magistrates are appointed by the District Court judges to eight-year terms.联邦司法官由地区法院法官任命，任期8年。The 12 circuits of the U.S. Court of Appeals constitute the intermediate court of appeal at the federal