Court Hierarchies

Court Hierarchies

Open Ended

What do the people on the previous slide all have in common?

Open Ended

What do you expect the court system to do?

Main expectations of the court system

• Independent and not swayed by community pressure (ie. judicial independence)

• Authoritative and consistent decisions that are subject to appeal

• Equitable in recognising everybody's right to due process and a fair trial

• ^{(Wilmott, 2008)}

Open Ended

What is the purpose of a court hierarchy?

Functions of court hierarchies

• Cases can be allocated according to the nature of disputes, the complexity of the case and the amount being claimed 

• Greater consistency in judgements as lower courts follow binding precedents 

• Allows for the right of appeal against court decisions 

• ^{(Willmott, 2008)}