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Terms
District Courts: The first rung of the court hierarchy in Scotland, dealing only with summary criminal matters. In summary procedure the Judge sits on his own but in solemn procedure the Judge sits with a Jury. The District Court is a lay court where a Justice of the Peace (JP) who is a lay person sits with a legally qualified clerk. The only exception to this is the Stipendiary Magistrate courts in Glasgow District Court , where the stipendiary magistrate sits on his/her own and is legally qualified (having the same powers as a Sheriff who is sitting summarily).
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High Court of Justiciary: Scotland's supreme criminal court. It has jurisdiction over the whole of Scotland and over all crimes, unless its jurisdiction is excluded by statute. When sitting as a trial court (i.e., as a court of 'first instance') it sits in cities and larger towns throughout Scotland. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have permanent High Court buildings.
Scottish Executive Justice Department (SEJD): A creation of the Scottish Parliament. It is responsible for criminal justice policy and procedure in Scotland, including early release of prisoners. It also deals with the civil law, such as matrimonial and family law, policy on victims of crime, and the regulation of charities. It is alsoresponsible for the legal aid system in Scotland and the work of District Courts. These are run by local authorities, not the Scottish Court Service, and deal with minor matters, such as parking fines, evasion of television licence payments and some small claims.
The Scotland Act 1998: An Act to provide for the establishment of a Scottish Parliament and Administration and other changes in the government of Scotland; to provide for changes in the constitution and functions of certain public authorities; to provide for the variation of the basic rate of income tax in relation to income of Scottish taxpayers in accordance with a resolution of the Scottish Parliament; to amend the law about parliamentary constituencies in Scotland; and for connected purposes.
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