Communicative Activities

Task 1.

a) Give your own definition of “law”.

b) In groups of three or four compare and contrast your notes. Discuss and report bask to the class the different points of view.

c) Study the dictionary definitions of "law":

“Rule made by authority for the proper regulation of a community or society or for correct conduct in life; the whole body of laws consid­ered collectively”

Oxford Student's Dictionary of Current English

“A rule that is supported by the power of government and that controls the behaviour of members of a society; the whole set of such rules”

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

“Rule of conduct or action, recognized by custom or decreed by formal enactment, considered binding on the members of a nation, communi­ty, or group; a system or body of such rules”

Webster's Dictionary

d) Underline the similarities and circle the differences.

e) Compare your own definition with the dictionary ones.

f) Write your fine-tuned definition. Interview the students of the other group on what their idea of law is. Report back to the class on your findings.

Task 2. Answer the following questions:

a) Why do we study law?

b) Do people always observe law?

c) What can we call people who break law?

d) What law violations do you know?

e) What categories of law are known to you?

Task 3. Sources of British Constitution.

A. The first major source for the law of the constitution comes in the form of legislation or statutes. Each statute deals only with a very limited area of concern. The following is a list of statutes which are of greatest constitutional significance, with brief summary of their contents. Read the text and be ready to discuss the main issues of it.

1297, Re-issue of the Magna Carta (1215)

This is a declaration of certain fundamental principles: no one should lose his life or liberty «except by the lawful judgment of his equals and by the law of the land»; the king should not sell, deny or delay justice; punishment should be in relation to the seriousness of the crime, etc.

1679, The Habeas Corpus Amendment Act

This contains provisions ensuring that persons imprisoned without legal cause, whether by the Crown or by private individuals, should, on obtaining a writ of Habeas Corpus, have the detention examined by a judge within a set per­iod of time.

1689, The Bill of Rights

It declares that the monarch's “pretended” power of suspending or dispensing with laws without the consent of Parliament is illegal, that elections and debate in Parliament should be free, and that Parliament should be summoned frequently, etc. (See the following section in this chapter.)

1701, The Act of Settlement

This deals with the question of succession to the throne (through a specified Protestant line) and with the conditions of tenure, payment and dismissal of judges.

1872, The Ballot Act

This was a vital piece of legislation, setting up the secret ballot at parliamentary elections and thereby doing away with the old system of voting in public that made voters so vulnerable to 'pressure' from over-enthu­siastic candidates.

1911, The Parliament Act

This laid down the reduced powers of the House of Lords with regard to Money Bills in particular - the maxi­mum the House could delay such a bill was limited to 1 month - and Public Bills in general (maximum delay: 2 years). It also shortened the life of a Parliament from 7 to 5 years. (See the section on the Parliament Act later in this chapter.)

1928, The Representation of the People Act

This removed the remaining discrimination against women. Registration as a voter was henceforth on the basis of age (21 and over), and residence in the constituency concerned (a minimum period of 3 months),

1949, The Parliament Act

This completed the work done by the 1911 Act by reducing the House of Lords' suspensive veto on legislation to a period of 1 year.

1969, The Representation of the People Act

This lowered the voting age to 18.

1972, The European Communities Act

This stipulates that the UK is bound by rulings of the European Court. It recognizes that certain categories of rules dealing with the rights and duties of individuals are to be applied directly in British courts without any further enactment by the Westminster Parliament.

B. Find the information.

The following statements are applicable to the Acts that figure on the list. Your task is to match each statement to the appropriate Act.

1. The monarch cannot interfere with the legal system unless he or she consults and obtains permissions from Parliament.

2. You cannot hold a prisoner indefinitely without giving him a trial.

3. The House of Lords may no longer hold up Public Bills for more than a year.

4. Women over 21 are eligible to vote providing they fulfill the residency requirements.

5. People who vote may do so without revealing to others who they have voted for.

C. Legal advice. Look at the following (fictitious) situations. Which Acts would a lawyer have to refer to in each case?

1. A magistrate has sentenced a shoplifter to life imprisonment.

2. During elections, the officials cannot find the ballot boxes. Therefore, they are asking the voters simply to come to a desk and tell the official whom they want to note for.

3. The police have had a suspect in custody for over six month. He has been kept in prison and has never appeared in court.

4. On June the first last year, the House of Commons passed an Education Bill aimed at nationalizing all private schools. It’s now the end of May and the House of Lords is still debating. The Government lawyers must advise.

5. The Queen wants to ask the Prime Minister not to allow debate in the House of Commons on a Bill to abolish the monarchy.

Task 4. Read and translate the preamble to the Russian Constitution and compare it with the preamble to the US Constitution. Find the official variant in Russian.