h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thanks again all. All seems to be getting more and more complicated.
Took a look at the list of Lords who are "not at all special" to discover that there are lots of other characters http://www.dca.gov.uk/judicial/senjudfr.htm#part2 (Oberon2001 thanks) I have not mentioned.... for example a circuit judge..... do they run a lot? Lots more research needed. Gosho I prefer Professional body as well sounds better but they describe themselves as regulatory and representative on their website so have added representative and gone with that. Have updated it to bits especially Scotland which could have an entry of its own. Added an intro as per Gnomons suggestion, nice one thanks. Ireland as well all though it feels bitty, again thats all up in the air. Am trying to keep it to people rather than institutions but I keep dipping my toe or my entire leg in there. I shall try and put a bit in about what's happening to the Lord Chancellor but its a shame the thing is going to go out of date so fast. How easy is it to update your entry if it becomes edited (with a BIG assumimg that ever happens)? At present the entry is lacking a lot of the new links to the professional bodies that I have discovered whilst getting to this stage. Do have another life and am moving country again on the 26th so am busy, please be patient all.
Orange_Squash
(Rebelling against paragraphs in this entry)

If you want to make a one line change to an edited entry, it can be done very easily and quickly, but posting a request at Feedback/Editorial. I do this all the time to correct spelling mistakes and minor factual errors I discover in Edited Entries.

If you have to make major changes, it is done through the Update Forum, in a process as long as tedious as Peer Review. So you're better off getting it right in the first place.

Hi OS -

This is an exceedingly well-written entry, and I have no comments other than to say that it does seem to get somewhat "bitty" at the end, when you start to speak about Scottish and Northern Irish systems.

I think that if someone else wants to write up an entry on other legal systems, then they should be encouraged to do it themselves. You have done a fine job on the English Legal System, and you declare right up front that that's the purpose of the entry, so rather than the entry trying to be all things to all people, you should leave out the bits about Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Just my .

Woodpigeon

Woodpiegon makes a good point. The academic text books I have focus on the English Legal System, as the Scottish system is so different. Maybe you should call the entry "Who does what in the English Legal System"

Don't worry about listing all the different types of judges, all most people need to know are the basic types:
Recorders - Part time judges. Cherie Booth QC (PM's wife) is a recorder.
District Judges
Circuit Judges - "circuit" just means they preside over cases on a circuit, of which there are 6 (I think) in England. Preside over most county court and crown court cases
High Court Judges - Try most serious/complex criminal and civil cases.
Lord/Lady Justices of Appeal - Court of Appeal Judges
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary - Law Lords. The "in ordinary" just refers to where their wages are paid from (the Ordinary Consolidated Fund in the Exchequer, not the House of Lords fund)

On a similiar note, under Judges, you've put "but they can lose their job on the grounds of serious misconduct." - This applies only to circuit judges or below (called "inferior judges") and it's on the grounds of "Incapacity or misbehaviour". "Superior Judges", under the Act of Settlement 1700 can only be removed following a motion of both Houses of Parliament. This has never happened.

Oberon2001

I'd suggest 'Who does what in the English and Welsh Legal System' rather than just English

I really know nothing about your legal system so I can't contribute to the content of this. But I will spellcheck it when you've got all the content sorted out, if you like. But you'll have to ask me, as I'm unsubscribing for now.

Interestingly enough, the Irish legal system is almost a carbon-copy of the English legal system, without the monarch or the House of Lords of course!

Who does what in the English and Welsh Legal System

That is the new title of the entry after taking the wise advice of all. Northern Ireland is a carbon copy, but it also has a lot of strange differences that were causing me to basically dig a hole for myself.

Have also added a few links, corrected a grammatical error that no one picked up on (are you all being nice to me?).

I will endeavour to create a couple of new 'kind of temporary ' not for review entries for Northern Ireland and Scotland. Anyone wishing to take them on are welcome to them. I will put a note on them explaining where they came from.

There are other things that need changing, improving and adding but they will have to wait for now


None of this will happen for a few hours though as I really have to go to bed as its way past my bedtime here.

The discussion can now begin about whether it should be Who does what in the English and Welsh Legal System, or systems

Orange_Squash

thanks for clearing up the lord chancellor thing oberon, maybe os could mention that as it could all happen after it goes in the EG(assuming it does)and then that would be more than a minor update.

sorry, didn't see the footnote

Im fairly sure i can say what i want about the queen, because of that boring disclaimer at the bottom of the page, and technically can't the queen say anything she wanted to about the case, because she is the prosecution.

(weren't the CPS going to remove crown from their name?(if they do is the queen still the prosecution, or is this another news story ive lost track of?)

Os, i dont think theres much else you can add after you've made those changesheres hoping you've done enough to go to the EG!

SuperSam

The barrister Rumpole of John Mortimer's 'Rumpole of the Bailey' calls circuit judges 'circus judges' and QCs 'Queer Customers'

Oh well. I thought it was funny. Maybe you could include a link to A1043146 Rumpole of the Bailey? (John Mortimer is my hero and the Rumpole books are my favourites.)

Thanks all, lots of useful ideas and points.
Have made quite a few more changes. Have done a lot of research into a paragraph about possible changes to the Law Lords and Lord Chancellor, but have not actually changed it yet.
Judge section needs doing as well thanks for that Oberon.
Thanks echomikeromeo nice idea have added that, and written in a quote in from that entry, "Possibly the most famous fictional barrister is Rumpole of the Bailey, a rather portly, irreverent barrister, partial to small cigars, cheap claret and spouting poetry at every opportunity."
What are the rules on quoting other peoples entries... did link to it in the same breath... marvellous entry.
Someone please tell me what does the Lord Chief Justice do now?

Orange_Squash

Lord Chief Justice is the presiding judge of Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal and of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court.
Oberon2001

Might I just add that I noticed this phrase in your guide entry:

The monarchs duties are largely ceremonial today as it is a long time since a King or Queen actually had a direct say in law making.

In actual fact, whilst it may have been a "long time" since a Monarch last actually intervened in the law making process, the right of the monarch to do so is as real as ever, . There also seems to be an apostrophe missing from that sentence...

Hello all

Thanks for all your suggestions I have been trying to take note and hope I have covered everything that you have said so far.

I have made a really large number of changes
Some have been small and some have been big. I have also added a couple of sections or four.

Any more suggestions are really welcome but for the time being I have come to the end of the process of making changes.

Orange_Squash

Oh yes

Keep forgetting to say

Woodpigeon the legal system is the same are their any rules against you stealing all my writing for an Irish version? I wouldn't mind at all, cut and paste to your hearts delight. Take out the Queen and the House of Lords though and thats quite different for starters.

Orange_Squash

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

congrats OS

well done

>> advise, worn, and encourage Ministers

**tjm wounders how to wear a minister !!!

smiles at scout !!**

Oops

Yeah Yeah

So happy

Thanks all all

Orange_Squash