Lesson Four Judicial SystemWord

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Lesson Four

　　Judicial System

　　Background 联 邦 法 院 系 统 ： the Supreme Court; Courts of Appeals; District Courts; Special Courts (the Court of Claims; the Customs Court; the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals) 州法院系统：Trial Court or Circuit Court; Appellate Court or Court of Appeals); Supreme Court.

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThere are fifty-two separate court system in the United States. 在美国，有五十二个独立的法院系统。 Each state, as well as the District of Columbia, has its own fully developed, independent system of courts and there is a separate federal court system. 各州及哥伦比亚特区，各自有其充分发展的、 独立的法院系统，同时，还有一个独立的联邦 法院系统。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThe federal courts are not superior to the state courts; they are an independent, coordinate system authorized by the United States Constitution, Art.Ⅲ, 2, to handle matters of particular federal interest.

　　Coordinate:平等的，同等的，并列的。联邦法院并不高于州法院，他们是独立、平等、 并由美国宪法第三条第二款授权审理涉及特别 的联邦利益之案件的系统。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThe presence of two parallel court systems often raises questions concerning the relationship of the state and federal systems, presenting important issues of federalism.

　　Presence: n 出席，到场，存在。 Present:v 呈现，显示，显出。 Federalism n.联邦政治, 联邦制度

　　两个法院系统的并存，常常引发关于州和联邦 体系之间的关系问题，也显示出(人们对)联 邦制的重大争议。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThe United States Supreme Court, composed of nine justices, sits as the final and controlling voice over all these systems.

　　Sit (法官)任职，开庭，审理案件，讨论， 位于，就座，开会，占议席，当代表，成为成 员，出席，参加考试，静坐示威，参加静坐。由九位大法官组成的美国最高法院，其审理案 件(的判决书)被视为效力高于所有系统的最 终的、有约束力的判决。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneAlthough a few states, such as Nebraska, have a two-tiered system, most states, as well as the federal courts, are based on a three-tiered model.

　　Tier: 1.n 等级，阶层，类别，层次。2. v 层叠， 使层叠尽管诸如内不拉斯加州等少数州采取的是二级 审判体制，大多数州以及联邦法院都是建立在 三级审判体制模式之上的。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThat means that for any litigant there will be the opportunity to plead his case before a trial court and then, should he lose, there are two levels of appeal at which he ultimately may succeed.

　　Plead 请求，恳求，辩护。 Litigant 1.n 诉讼当事人，诉讼参与人 2.adj (中)的，有关诉讼的，好争论的 Litigate: v 起诉，参与诉讼，抗辩 litigation: n

　　诉讼

　　那就意味着任何诉讼当事人将有机会在初审法院为其 案件进行辩护之后，如果败

　　诉，还有两级上诉(法 院),而他最终有可能在这(上诉中)胜诉。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneFor example, in the federal system the trial court is the United States District Court, of which there is at least one in every state. 例如，在联邦法院系统中，联邦第一审法院是 联邦地区法院，每个州至少有一个(联邦地区 法院) Many larger states are divided into two, three or even four judicial districts, depending on population, geography and caseload. 许多大州则依据人口数量、地理特点和案件数 量分成两个、三个、甚至四个司法地区。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThere are ninety-four districts in the United States and each district court has one judge, or more commonly two or more. 在美国有九十四个(司法)地区，每个地区法院有一 名法官，更常见的是两名甚至更多。 After an adverse judgment in the district court, a litigant may appeal to United States Court of Appeals for the circuit in which the district court is located.

　　Adverse 不利的，敌对的，相反的当事人若在联邦地区法院得到不利判决，则可以上诉 至该地区法院所在巡回区的联邦上诉法院。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThere are eleven numbered intermediate appellate courts in the federal system, each including anywhere from three to ten states and territories.

　　Appeal 1.n上诉(状),请求，(行政)复议 2.v 上诉，控告， (行政)复议，诉诸，请求，求助，呼吁 Appealable: adj 可以上诉的appealability:n 可上诉性 Appellate: adj 受理上诉的，上诉权限的，复议的。 appellant 1.n 上诉人=appealer. appellator (appellee:被上诉 人) 2.adj 上诉的，有关上诉的。在联邦系统中，有十一个编了号的中级上诉法院，每个法院管辖 三至十个州和地区不等。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneAdditionally, there is a Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, hearing appeals from the federal district court there, and one for the Federal Circuit, taking appeals from various specialized federal tribunals, such as the Claims Court.

　　Hear: v 听证，审理，听审，同意，允准。 Tribunal:法庭，裁判所(席，庭),法官席，审判席此外，哥伦比亚特区有一个上诉法院，审理来自该地 联邦地区法院的上诉(案件);还有一个联邦巡回上 诉法院，审理来自诸如索赔法院等不同联邦特别法院 的上诉(案件)。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneEach court of appeals has four or more judges who sits in panels of three to review district court decisions, as well as some decisions of administrative agencies.

　　Panel. 1.n 陪审员名单，一组陪审员，合议庭2. v选定(陪审团)各个上诉法院有四个或更多法官，由三人组成 合议庭复审来自地区法院的判决和来自行政机 关的某些裁决。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneA losing litigant in the court of appeals may, in some cases, be able to obtain review by the United States Supreme Court. 在

　　某些案件中，在联邦上诉法院败诉的当事人，可能 可以获准联邦最高法院的复审。 Cases in the state courts similarly may proceed through a trial court, a state appellate court, and then the state supreme court.

　　Proceed: 进行法律诉讼或起诉类似地，在州法院(起诉)的案件可以从初审法院到 州上诉法院，然后再到州最高法院进行诉讼。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part One

　　If a federal constitutional question is involved the decision of the state supreme court may be reviewed by the United States Supreme Court. 州最高法院的判决若涉及联邦宪法问题， 将有可能由联邦最高法院进行复审。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneSince 1988, review by the Supreme Court in civil cases is discretionary; virtually all civil appeals as of right to the highest court have been abolished. Discretion: n 自由裁量权，(刑法和侵权法中 的)是非辨别能力，明智行为，谨慎。 Discretionary: adj 任意的，无条件的，无限制 的，有决定权的，自由决定的。 自1998年以来，联邦最高法院对民事案件的复 审是有自由裁量权的，实际上所有民事案件都 作为(当事人的)权利而可以上诉到最高法院 的做法已经被废除。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThree-tiered systems vary on the role which the highest court plays. (各地的)的三级审判体制在最高法院所扮演 的角色上有所不同。 The approaches taken reflect differing philosophies with regard to what the highest court should do. (各州)采用的(不同)作法反映了关于最高 法院应发挥什么作用的不同哲理。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneFor example, in California only criminal cases in which capital punishment has been imposed are appealable as of right to the state supreme court.

　　capital punishment:死刑 impose:征(税等),强加，欺骗，使他人买 受，施加(负担，惩罚),利用。例如，在加利福尼亚州，只有被处以死刑的刑 事案件才可作为(当事人的)权利上诉至州最 高法院。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneSimilarly, in the federal courts, except in a few very limited circumstances, appeals to the United States Supreme Court are discretionary, by writ of certiorari.

　　Certiorari:(上诉法院签发给下级法院的)的 调取案卷令。同样地，在联邦法院，除了在少数极有限的情 况下，上诉至联邦最高法院的请求(是否被受 理，)由(是否颁发)调案复审令决定。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThe Court decides for itself what are the most important questions that deserve its attention and will refuse to review decisions raising issues that it feels are not crucial.

　　Deserve:v 应该得到，值得 Crucial:a 决定性的，关系重大的。法院自行决定什么是值得其关注的最重要的问 题，而且对引起了其认为不是十分重要的争论 的判决，将拒绝予以复审。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part One

　　In this way it supervises the administration of law by the lower courts on an

　　ad hoc basis.

　　Supervise:监督，管理。 ad hoc (拉)特别，特定，临时，特设， 由于，考虑到。最高法院以这种方式在个案的基础上监 督下级法院对法律的施行。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part One

　　At the other end of the spectrum, such as in New York, appeals to the state’s highest court are as of right in a great many cases provided for by statute.

　　Spectrum:光谱，系列，范围。不同的是，有的州诸如纽约，绝大多数 案件被(州)法律赋予了向州最高赋予 提起上诉的权利。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part OneThe primary function of the highest court in New York appears to be to assure that cases are correctly decided. 纽约州最高法院的主要职责看来是确保案件得以准确 地判决。 It is necessary to check carefully the statutes of the system in which you are appearing to determine the specific rules regarding review by those appellate courts. 仔细核实三级审判体制中的立法是必要的，(因为) 在这些立法中，人们可以确认关于这些上诉法院复审 权的具体规定。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoFewer than one in twenty of those admitted to practice law is a federal, state, county, or municipal court judge. 在获准开业的律师中，有不到 5 %的人在联邦、 州、县或自治市法院当法官。 Except for some inferior courts, judges are generally required to be admitted to practice but do not practice while on the bench. 除了某些较低级别的法院外，一般都要求法官 具有开业律师资格，但在担任法官期间不得开 业。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoThere is so little uniformity that it is difficult to generalize further than to point out three salient characteristics that relate to the ranks from which judges are drawn, to the method of their selection, and to their tenure. Uniform:1.n制服，军服 2. adj 相同的，一律的，一致的。ly: adv – ity:n salient: adj 显著的，突出的，易见的。 Rank: 1.n社会阶层，官阶，身份，地位，等级 2.v分类，分等级， 对破产者的财产有要求权。 tenure:任期，使用期。 (法官职业的)的一致性是如此之少，以至于要进行深层次的概 括很难，只能指出三个突出的特征，即法官产生于什么样的人群、 选拔法官的方式和他们的任期。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoThere is in the United States no career judiciary like that found in many other countries and there is no prescribed rout for the young law graduate who aspires to be a judge, no apprenticeship that must be served, no service that must be entered.

　　Prescribe:v 劝告或吩咐使用，开药方，指挥，规定。 Aspire: v ~ to do sth有抱负，有雄心，立志，渴望，追求。 Aspiration: n ~ (for / after); ~ (to do / be)愿望，希望，渴望

　　, 热望 Aspirant: n ~ (to / after)有抱负者，热望者，希望着。在美国，没有像存在于许多其他国家中一样的职业法官，对有志 成为一名法官的年轻法学院毕业生来说，没有确定的途径，无需 实习，也无需参加某种服务。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoThe outstanding young law graduates who act for a year or two as law clerks to the most distinguished judges of the federal and state courts have only the reward of the experience to take with them into practice and not the promise of a judicial career. 出色的年轻法学院毕业生为联邦及州法院最优 秀的法官当一年或二年的秘书(助理),其仅 能获得(有助于)今后开业的经验，而并非获 得成为法官的允诺。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoWhile it is not uncommon for a vacancy on a higher court to be filled by a judge from a lower court, even this cannot be said to be the rule.

　　Vacant: adj 空缺的，空闲的，未占用的，茫然 的。 -ly: adv Vacancy: n Vacate: v搬出，空出，放弃 vacation: n放弃， 空出，假期，休庭期。虽然高一级法院的空缺通常是从下级法院选出 一名法官来填补，但这甚至不能被说成是惯例。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoThe legal profession is not entirely unaware of the advantages of a career judiciary, but it is generally thought that they are outweighed by the experience and independence which American lawyers bring to the bench.

　　Outweigh: v 在重量、价值或重要性上超过， 胜出。法律职业界并非完全没有意识到一名职业法官 的优势，但人们常常认为使他们胜出的正是美 国律师带到法官席位上的经验和独立(精神)。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoMany of the outstanding judges of the country’s highest courts have had no prior judicial experience.

　　Prior: adj 优先的，在前的，预先许多杰出的国家最高法院的法官先前并无担任 法官的经验。 Criticism has centered instead on the prevalent method of selection of judges.

　　Prevalent :adj 流行的，盛行的，广泛或普遍 发生、存在的。批评反而集中在通行的选拔法官的方式上

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoState court judges are usually elected, commonly by popular vote, but occasionally by the legislature. 州法院的法官通常由选举产生，一般由民众投票选出，但有时也 由立法机关选出。 Popular election has been the subject of much disapproval, including that of the American Bar Association, on the ground that the public lacks interest in and information on candidates for judicial office and that therefore the outcome is too often controlled by leaders of political parties. 普选的方式已经成为众矢之的，其中就包括美国律师协会的反对， 其理由就是：公众对法官候选人缺乏兴趣和了解，因此，选举结 果往往被政党领导人所操纵。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoThe situation has been somewhat improved since many local bar associations have undertaken to evaluate the quali

　　fications of candidates and to support or oppose them on this basis.

　　Undertake: ~(to do sth) (1)开始，着手； (2)担任，承揽；(3)答应，许诺，担保后来，许多地方律师协会开始对候选人的资格 进行评估，并在此基础上支持或反对他们当选。 自此，这种情况稍微有所改善。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoSince 1937, the American Bar Association has advocated the substitution of a system under which the governor appoints judges from a list submitted by a special nominating board and the judge then periodically stands unopposed for reelection by popular vote on the basis of his or her record.

　　Substitute: 1.v 代替，替换，代用substitution: n 2. n 代理人， 代用品，代用物 Nominate: v 提名某人(为候选人),指定，指派 nominee: n 被提名的候选人，被任命者 Nomination: n 提名，任命，提名权，任命权。自1937年以来，美国律师协会提倡改用另一方式，即由州长根据 特别提名委员会的提名来任命法官，然后，该法官定期参加没有 竞争对手的续任民众选举，选举的依据是其工作业绩。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoSuch a system is now in effect, for at least some judges, in a substantial minority of states. 现在，大多数州都采取了这种方式，至少在选 举一部分法官时是通过这种方式。 In a small group of states, judges are appointed by the governor subject to legislative confirmation. 在少数州，法官由州长任命并由立法机关确认。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part Two

　　This is also the method of selection of federal judges, who are appointed by the President subject to confirmation by the Senate. 这也是选拔联邦法官的方式，他们由总 统任命，并由参议院加以确认

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoEven under the appointive system the selection of judges is not immune from political influence and appointees are usually of the President’s or governor’s own party.

　　Immune:: adj ~(from / against /to) 免除的，安全的 Immunity: n~(from). Immunize: ~ (against) v 使免 除 豁免 immunization: n immunology: n免疫学即使采用委任的方式，法官的选拔也不能免受政治影 响，而且被任命者常常与总统或州长属于同一政党。 (Democratic Party or Republic Party)

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part Two

　　But names of candidates for the federal judiciary are submitted to a committee of the American Bar Association and appointment is usually made only with its approval. 但是联邦法院法官的候选人名单须提交 到美国律师协会的一个委员会，通常须 经过该委员会同意，才能进行任命。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoThe office of chief judge or chief justice is usually filled in the same manner as other judicial offices, although in some states it is filled from among the members of the court by rotation, by seniority of service, or by vote of the judges.

　　Rotate: v (使)旋转，(使)轮流rotation: n旋转，循 环，轮流，交替 rotating: adj Senior: adj 年长的，

　　权位等较高的，资深的seniority: n 年长，资深首席法官的选拔方式通常和其他法官一样，尽管在一 些州，首席法官是从本法院成员中根据轮换、工作资 历或法官投票而选出的。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoThe Chief Justice of the United States is appointed by the President, subject to Senate confirmation. 联邦首席大法官由总统任命，并由参议院确认。The third characteristic is that judges commonly serve for a term of years rather than for life. 第三个特征是：通常，法官的任职采用任期制 而非终身制。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part Two

　　For courts of general jurisdiction it is typically four, six, or eight years, and for appellate courts, six, eight, or ten years. 在拥有一般司法管辖权的法院(一审法 院)中，(法官的)任期通常为4、6或8 年，而在上诉法院中则为6、8或10年。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoHappily, even where selection is by popular election, it is customary to return to office for sitting judges whose service has been satisfactory. 令人高兴的是，即使在那些通过普选选拔法官 的地方，那些工作令人满意的现任法官通常都 能连任。 In a few state courts and in the federal courts the judges sit for life. 在少数州法院以及联邦法院，实行法官终身制。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part TwoWhether on the bench for a term of years or for life, a judge may be removed from office only for gross misconduct and only by formal proceedings.

　　Remove: v 移动，搬开，消除，免职，移送(案件),杀掉，暗 杀。 Gross: adj (1)粗鄙的，不雅的；(2)粗糙而油腻的；(3)迟钝 的；(4)罪恶昭著的，显著的，易见的；(5)茂密的；(6) 全部的，整个的，总的，毛的(GNP) (8) in (the) ~: 批发，大体 上，一般的。 Misconduct: 1.n 不规矩的行为，不当的处理，不善的管理 2.v 行为不规矩，管理不善，处理不当。无论是任期制还是终身制，法官只有在犯有严重过错行为的情况 下，并只有通过正式程序，才可以被罢免。

　　法律英语 何家弘 Word

　　Part Two

　　Instances of removal have been rare indeed and only a handful of federal judges have been removed by formal proceedings. 实际上，被免职的实例极少，只有少数 联邦法官通过正式程序被免职。