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The United Kingdom now has a Supreme Court which is the highest appealate court. This change will probably not show up on next May's AP exam, but you might want to add some footnotes to your textbook. Write in pencil so next year's students can update the information.
This change has been in the works for at least 6 years. Officially it began with the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
The new court's web site says, "1 October 2009 marks a defining moment in the constitutional history of the United Kingdom: transferring judicial authority away from the House of Lords, and creating a Supreme Court for the United Kingdom.
"The Supreme Court's 12 Justices will maintain the highest standards set by the Appellate Committee, but will now be explicitly separate from both Government and Parliament.
"The Court will hear appeals on arguable points of law of the greatest public importance, for the whole of the United Kingdom in civil cases, and for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in criminal cases
"Occasionally, The Court will be called upon to interpret European law and the European Convention on Human Rights as they relate to our domestic laws.
"If human rights principles seem to have been breached, it may be possible to appeal to the European Court after all avenues of appeal in the United Kingdom have been exhausted, or The Supreme Court has no jurisdiction in this particular case."
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