What is the constitutional role of the UK Supreme Court?

It is the final court of appeal for the United Kingdom and the court that authoritatively settles questions about the meaning of the law and the limits of public power.

What can the Supreme Court do when a statute conflicts with Convention rights?

It may issue a declaration of incompatibility, which draws the conflict to Parliament's attention but leaves the statute in force.

How does the Supreme Court police the boundaries of devolution?

It hears references and appeals on whether a devolved legislature or government has acted within the competence its founding statute confers.

Who may refer a devolved bill to the Supreme Court before it becomes law?

The relevant law officers, such as the Attorney General or the Counsel General for Wales, may refer a bill to test whether it is within competence.

WJEC A-Level Government and Politics 603-1979-3

The British Constitution

Topic overview The nature of the constitution: uncodified, unitary and flexible Statute law as a source of the constitution Common law and works of constitutional authority Constitutional conventions Parliamentary sovereignty The rule of law Parliamentary government and constitutional monarchy Constitutional reform since 1997 The debate on a codified constitution The UK, the European Union and Brexit The UK, NATO and the United Nations

The Judiciary and the Supreme Court

Topic overview The constitutional role of the Supreme Court The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the creation of the Court The Supreme Court as the highest court of appeal The separation of powers in the UK Judicial independence Judicial neutrality and the appointment of judges Judicial review and the doctrine of ultra vires Supreme Court rulings on constitutional matters A separate legal jurisdiction for Wales

The UK Executive

Topic overview The core executive The roles of the Prime Minister The powers and resources of the Prime Minister The royal prerogative The composition of the Cabinet The roles and functions of the Cabinet Collective ministerial responsibility Individual ministerial responsibility Prime ministerial government and its limits The civil service

Parliament and the Accountability of Government

Topic overview The composition of the House of Commons The House of Lords: composition and powers The functions of Parliament The legislative process Private members' bills and delegated legislation Select committees Questions, debates and confidence in the government Backbench MPs and peers The role of the Opposition Parliamentary privilege Parliamentary sovereignty in practice Executive dominance and where power lies

Government and the Senedd in Wales

Topic overview The First Minister of Wales The Welsh Government and its Cabinet Collective and individual ministerial responsibility in Wales The powers and resources of the Welsh Government The origins and structure of the Senedd The composition and election of the Senedd The legislative competence of the Senedd The legislative process in the Senedd Plenary and the business of the Senedd Senedd committees Members of the Senedd and the Opposition Debates over the effectiveness of the Senedd

Devolution and the United Kingdom

Topic overview The nature and forms of devolution The origins of devolution in the UK The Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government The Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Devolution in England Asymmetry in the devolution settlement The West Lothian question and English votes for English laws Funding devolution and the Barnett formula Devolution, sovereignty and the union Debates over the future of the union

Citizenship and Rights

Topic overview The meaning of citizenship Global citizenship Freedom, equality and active citizenship The rule of law and protection under the law The rights of minorities Positive discrimination and positive action The sources of rights in the UK Equality legislation on race and gender Freedom of expression, association and religion Privacy, liberty and the right to a fair trial Conflicts between rights Debates over a British Bill of Rights

The Protection of Human Rights

Topic overview The courts and the protection of rights Judicial review: grounds and remedies Judicial review in practice The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights The Human Rights Act 1998 The Human Rights Act in the courts Enforcing equality law Ombudsmen and commissioners Pressure and campaigning for rights Debates over the protection of rights in the UK

Democracy and Participation

Topic overview Direct democracy Representative democracy Comparing direct and representative democracy Turnout in Wales and the UK Apathy, abstention and the participation crisis Legitimacy and the mandate Pluralism and elitism Who participates and why Widening participation and franchise reform

Electoral Systems in the UK

Topic overview The functions of elections and the language of electoral systems First Past the Post: how it works First Past the Post: advantages and criticisms The Additional Member System and Senedd elections The Single Transferable Vote Party list systems The supplementary vote and the alternative vote Proportionality, fairness and effects on party systems Coalition and minority government Key elections in Wales Referendums in Wales and the UK

Voting Behaviour in the UK

Topic overview The sociological model and social class Party identification and partisan dealignment The rational choice model The valence model and governing competence Age, gender, ethnicity and education Region, nation and voting in Wales Election campaigns and party leaders The media and voting behaviour Turnout, tactical voting and volatility

Political Parties in Wales and the UK

Topic overview The functions of political parties The Labour Party: origins and ideology The Conservative Party: origins and ideology The Liberal Democrats and the centre ground Plaid Cymru and the Welsh party system Smaller and minor parties Party organisation and the role of members Leadership selection in the main parties Candidate selection and representation Manifestos, platforms and the mandate Party funding, cash for influence and reform

Pressure Groups and Social Movements

Topic overview Pressure groups and how they differ from parties Sectional and promotional groups Insider and outsider groups Access points in Wales and the UK Lobbying and direct contact with decision-makers Direct action and public campaigning Using the media and new technologies Factors in pressure group success Pressure groups and the health of democracy Social movements: nature, membership and methods The women's movement and the environmental movement

Liberalism

Topic overview Origins of liberal ideas Human nature, reason and progress Individualism, liberty and natural rights Toleration, pluralism and justice The social contract and the liberal state Constitutionalism, the rule of law and liberal democracy Negative and positive freedom Classical liberalism and laissez-faire economics Modern liberalism and the enabling state The New Right and libertarian views of the market Equality of opportunity and equality of outcome Liberalism and Welsh political parties and movements Liberal ideas in global politics

Conservatism

Topic overview Origins of conservative ideas Human imperfection, pragmatism and tradition Organic society, hierarchy and natural inequality Authority, order and property Traditional and one-nation conservatism Authoritarian conservatism Moral conservatism, the family and the church The New Right: neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism Conservative debates on immigration and integration Conservative debates on minority rights and welfare Economic conservatism, the market and state intervention Conservatism and Welsh political parties and movements Conservative ideas in global politics

Socialism and Communism

Topic overview Origins of socialist ideas Human nature, community and cooperation Class, class conflict and the proletariat Equality and social justice Marxism and historical materialism Communism in theory and in practice Revolutionary and parliamentary roads to socialism Social democracy, revisionism and the Third Way Democratic socialism and ethical socialism Socialist views of capitalism Public ownership and the means of production Collectivism and the redistribution of wealth Socialism and the Welsh labour movement Socialist ideas in global politics

Nationalism

Topic overview Origins of nationalist ideas Defining the nation and the nation state National consciousness and the role of history Language, culture and national symbols National sovereignty and self-determination Civic nationalism Ethno-cultural nationalism Liberal nationalism Conservative nationalism Chauvinism, xenophobia and expansionist nationalism Political nationalism, citizenship and the state Separatism, secession and anti-colonial nationalism Nationalism and Welsh political parties and movements Nationalist ideas in global politics

The US Constitution and Federalism

Topic overview The Declaration of Independence and the founding principles Writing the Constitution and its compromises Separation of powers and checks and balances The amendment process Enumerated, implied and reserved powers Theories of federalism The changing balance of federal and state power Fiscal federalism and federal grants Federalism before the Supreme Court Debates about the Constitution

Rights and Liberties in the USA

Topic overview The Bill of Rights: origins and importance The First Amendment: speech, press and assembly The First Amendment: religion The Second Amendment and gun ownership Rights of the accused and due process The death penalty and the Eighth Amendment Privacy and the Constitution The Fourteenth Amendment and incorporation Civil rights and the struggle for racial equality Affirmative action and contemporary equality debates

The US Congress

Topic overview The constitutional basis of Congress The House of Representatives The Senate Congressional leadership The committee system How a bill becomes law The filibuster and Senate procedure Parties, partisanship and gridlock Congress and the executive Representation and the member's role

The US Presidency

Topic overview The constitutional office of President The powers of the President The President as chief executive The President and legislation The President, foreign policy and the armed forces Executive orders and unilateral action The Cabinet The Executive Office of the President Constraints on presidential power The imperial presidency debate

The US Supreme Court

Topic overview The constitutional role of the Supreme Court Judicial review and Marbury v Madison Jurisdiction and how a case reaches the Court Nomination and appointment of justices Tenure and proposals for reform Judicial activism and judicial restraint Originalism and the living Constitution Precedent and legal reasoning The Court and the protection of rights The political significance of the Court and its composition

US Elections and Voting Behaviour

Topic overview The invisible primary Primaries and caucuses The national nominating conventions The ticket and the general election campaign The electoral college Congressional and midterm elections Money in US elections PACs, super-PACs and campaign finance law The media and social media in campaigns Long-term determinants of voting behaviour Short-term factors, swing states and independents

Political Parties in the USA

Topic overview The American political spectrum The Democratic party The Republican party Factions in the Republican party Factions in the Democratic party Party organisation and candidate-centred campaigns Why two parties dominate Third parties and independent candidates Realignment, decline and polarisation

The Judiciary and the Supreme Court

9 subtopics
27 things to know
AS Unit 1

What The Judiciary and the Supreme Court covers

The Judiciary and the Supreme Court is examined in AS Unit 1, Government in Wales and the United Kingdom — sovereignty, power and accountability. It covers the constitutional role of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the creation of the Court, the Supreme Court as the highest court of appeal, the separation of powers in the UK, judicial independence, judicial neutrality and the appointment of judges, judicial review and the doctrine of ultra vires, supreme Court rulings on constitutional matters and A separate legal jurisdiction for Wales.

Where it is assessed

AS Unit 1

Government in Wales and the United Kingdom.

Check the WJEC specification ↗

The 9 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Explain why judicial independence matters and how security of tenure protects it.

Numbers

Set out the case for a Welsh legal jurisdiction and what already exists in Wales.

Key term

Why is the Supreme Court not a constitutional court in the sense familiar in the United States?

Numbers

Which Act created the UK Supreme Court?

Key term

Which court is the final criminal court for Scotland?

Numbers

Which writer is most associated with the separation of powers?

Key term

How does neutrality differ from independence?

Key term

What is judicial review?

Key term

What did the 2017 ruling say about the Sewel convention?

Key term

Explain the Supreme Court's role in interpreting statute.

Key term

What was the constitutional objection to the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords?

Key term

What test must a case meet to reach the Supreme Court?

Key term

Why is the UK said to have only a partial separation of powers?

Key term

Why does judicial independence matter to the citizen?

Key term

Why is the social composition of the judiciary a matter of constitutional concern?

Key term

What does ultra vires mean?

Key term

What did the Supreme Court decide in the prorogation case of 2019?

Key term

What is the present jurisdictional position of Wales?

Key term

Why is the Supreme Court described as a check on the executive rather than on Parliament?

Key term

How many justices does the Supreme Court have?

Key term

Who decides whether permission to appeal is granted?

Key term

What did Bagehot identify as the efficient secret of the constitution?

Key term

What is security of tenure?

Key term

Who selects candidates for judicial office in England and Wales below the Supreme Court?

Key term

Distinguish substantive from procedural ultra vires.

Key term

What did the Supreme Court decide in the UNISON case of 2017?

Numbers

Which court gave Wales its own judicial structure before 1830?

Take The Judiciary and the Supreme Court further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

Illegality vs Irrationality
Illegality: a public body acting outside the powers conferred on it. Irrationality: it means reaching a conclusion no reasonable body could have reached.
Substantive ultra vires vs Procedural ultra vires
Substantive ultra vires: doing something there was no power to do. Procedural ultra vires: it means doing something without following a required process.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is the constitutional role of the UK Supreme Court?
Model answer
It is the final court of appeal for the United Kingdom and the court that authoritatively settles questions about the meaning of the law and the limits of public power.
2
Why is the Supreme Court not a constitutional court in the sense familiar in the United States?
Model answer
It cannot strike down an Act of Parliament, because parliamentary sovereignty makes statute the highest law.
3
What can the Supreme Court do when a statute conflicts with Convention rights?
Model answer
It may issue a declaration of incompatibility, which draws the conflict to Parliament's attention but leaves the statute in force.
4
How does the Supreme Court police the boundaries of devolution?
Model answer
It hears references and appeals on whether a devolved legislature or government has acted within the competence its founding statute confers.
5
Who may refer a devolved bill to the Supreme Court before it becomes law?
Model answer
The relevant law officers, such as the Attorney General or the Counsel General for Wales, may refer a bill to test whether it is within competence.
6
Explain the Supreme Court's role in interpreting statute.
Model answer
Where the words of an Act are unclear or contested, the Court's reading of them binds every other court and settles what the law means in practice.

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The British Constitution

The Judiciary and the Supreme Court

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Parliament and the Accountability of Government

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The Judiciary and the Supreme Court revision questions

What does The Judiciary and the Supreme Court cover in WJEC A-Level Government and Politics?: 9 subtopics: the constitutional role of the supreme court, the constitutional reform act 2005 and the creation of the court, the supreme court as the highest court of appeal, the separation of powers in the uk, judicial independence, judicial neutrality and the appointment of judges, judicial review and the doctrine of ultra vires, supreme court rulings on constitutional matters and a separate legal jurisdiction for wales. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is The Judiciary and the Supreme Court organised?: By the WJEC 603-1979-3 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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