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| Question | Answer |
| Judiciary: | The branch of government that is responsible for deciding legal disputes and which presides over the court system. |
| Common law: | Law that is based on long-standing custom and traditions; common law is used mainly in the UK and its former colonies. |
| Mandatory sentences: | Sentences that are laid down in legislation, and so remove discretion over sentences from judges. |
| Judicial independence: | The principle that the actions and decisions of judges should not be influenced by pressure from other branches of government. |
| Judicial activism: | The willingness of judges to arbitrate in political disputes, as opposed to merely declaring the 'letter of the law'. |
| Neutrality: | The absence of any form of partisanship or commitment; a refusal to 'take sides'. |
| Civil liberties: | A range of rights and freedoms that belong to the citizen and mark out a 'private' realm which government should leave alone. |
| International law: | The rules that define the behaviour of, and relationship between, states; the UN is the main source of international law. |
| Ombudsman: | A public officer appointed to safeguard citizens' rights and investigate allegations of maladministration; the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, set up in 1967, acts as the 'parliamentary ombudsman'. |
| Judicial review: | The power of the judiciary to 'review' and possibly overturn laws, decrees and actions of other branches of government and public bodies. |
| Delegated legislation: | Laws that allow other bodies to act with Parliaments' legal authority; secondary or enabling legislation. |
| Ultra vires: | Literally, 'beyond the power'; this applies when public servants have acted illegally because their actions have no statutory authority. |
| Authoritarianism: | The practice of rule 'from above'; government that is imposed on citizens regardless of their consent. |
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