For Students
Although there are some courts that handle only criminal cases and others that deal with only civil cases, a more common pattern is for a single court to be vested with both civil and criminal jurisdiction. Examples of such courts include the High Court of Justice for England and Wales and many of the trial courts found in U.S. states. Canada is an instructive example, because the federal government has the exclusive authority to legislate criminal laws, while the provinces have the authority to legislate civil laws. Virtually all cases, criminal and civil, originate in the provincial courts. Often these ...(100 of 11594 words)