ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the constitutional role of judges, the importance of judicial independence, judicial accountability, and the different categories of law. It explains the hierarchy of civil and criminal courts, and judicial techniques of statutory interpretation and the doctrine of precedent. The chapter focuses on the English Judicial Appointments Commission, although the principles and procedures are common to all jurisdictions. The domestic courts no longer make references to the European Court of Justice of the European Union (EU), and it is for the government and Parliament to determine how much EU law is retained within the domestic legal system. In the settlement of disputes, one of the principal functions of judges is applying the law as laid down in Acts of Parliament or by common law. Accordingly, constitutional law and administrative law are both major aspects of public law.
