Citizens' Legal Rights & Responsibilities (AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies): Exam Questions

Selection of State Court Judges in the USA

Appointment: The state's governor or legislature choose the judges.

Merit Selection: Judges are chosen by a legislative committee based on each potential judge's past performance. Some states hold ‘retention elections’ to determine if the judge should continue to serve.

Partisan Elections: Judges selected through partisan elections are voted in by the electorate, and often run as part of a political party's slate of candidates.

Stop and search

A report into the power of the police to use stop and search found that:

• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people were over four times more likely to be stopped and searched than White people

• police in the UK fail to record ethnicity data consistently

• most searches are ‘self-generated’, meaning a police officer decides to carry out a search ‘on the spot’

• the most common reason for a stop is ‘drug possession’. However, only a quarter of these stops actually recover any drugs.

The role of solicitors

Solicitors represent and defend clients’ cases. They also provide advice, for example:

• on everyday issues, such as buying and selling homes

• on protecting individuals’ rights, making sure they’re treated fairly by public or private bodies.

A solicitor’s work can be divided into:

• resolving disputes between two or more parties

• dealing with legal aspects of a client’s personal issues, for example making a will.

A solicitor’s duties include:

• researching cases

• drafting letters, contracts, wills and other legal documents

• representing clients.

Rights and responsibilities of citizens at different ages in the UK

A – 10 years old

B – 12 years old

C – 17 years old

D – 21 years old

Recruiting under 18s to the British Army

The minimum age for joining the British Army is 16. The UK is the only country in Europe which recruits people under 18. The recruitment of minors (those who are under 18) has been criticised by the United Nations.

Legally, 16-year-olds are not recognised as adults. Yet, a contract to join the army which they sign as a minor will legally bind them for up to 6 years.

Civil Law in the UK

• Civil law cases are brought by private parties.

• The decision of the court is liable or not liable.

• Either party can appeal in a civil case.

• The claimant needs to prove their case on the balance of probabilities in order to succeed.

Differing legal systems in the UK

A – England

B – Northern Ireland

C – Scotland

D – Wales

The powers of the police

The police have the three following powers:

1. to stop and search any person or vehicle for stolen or prohibited articles.

2. to arrest someone anywhere, and at any time.

3. of entry, search and seizure. This means they can enter a property, search it and take certain things.

However, there are limits on how the police can use these powers.

Criminal law

In criminal law the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decides whether or not to bring a case to court and put the defendant on trial.

During the trial the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This means the prosecution must prove that the defendant is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

The defendant will be found guilty or not guilty. If the defendant is found guilty they will be punished with either a non-custodial or custodial sentence.