What Are Courts?
什么是法院？
Courts are places where legal disputes are heard and resolved by independent judges.
法院是由独立法官审理和解决法律纠纷的地方。
Primary Functions of Courts
- Hear and decide cases based on evidence and legal arguments
- Interpret laws and apply them to specific situations
- Provide a formal setting for dispute resolution
- Ensure fair treatment under the law
- Create precedent through decisions (in common law systems)
- 根据证据和法律论据听取和决定案件
- 解释法律并将其应用于特定情况
- 提供正式的争议解决场所
- 确保在法律下的公平对待
- 通过判决创建先例（在普通法系统中）
Australia's Court Hierarchy
澳大利亚的法院等级制度
Australia has a federal system with both national (Commonwealth) and state/territory courts.
澳大利亚采用联邦制度，同时拥有国家（联邦）法院和州/领地法院。
Think of it this way... (通俗理解...)
Imagine the court system as a pyramid:
- Lower courts at the bottom handle most everyday cases
- Middle courts handle more serious cases and appeals
- The High Court at the top makes the final decisions on the most important cases
把法院系统想象成一个金字塔：
- 底部的低级法院处理大多数日常案件
- 中级法院处理更严重的案件和上诉
- 顶部的高等法院对最重要的案件作出最终决定
High Court of Australia
澳大利亚高等法院
Commonwealth Courts
联邦法院
State/Territory Courts
州/领地法院
Federal Court
联邦法院
Family Court
家事法院
Supreme Court
最高法院
Federal Circuit Court
联邦巡回法院
District/County Courts
区域/县法院
Local/Magistrates Courts
地方/治安法院
Court Hierarchy Legend (法院等级图例)
Binding Precedent (约束性先例) - Lower courts must follow higher courts
Persuasive Precedent (说服性先例) - Courts may consider but not required to follow
Appeal Path (上诉路径) - Cases move upward through the hierarchy
High Court of Australia
Australia's highest court and final court of appeal
Federal Courts
联邦法院
High Court of Australia
- Australia's highest court
- Final court of appeal
- Interprets the Constitution
- Located in Canberra
- 澳大利亚最高法院
- 最终上诉法院
- 解释宪法
- 位于堪培拉
Federal Court of Australia
- Handles federal law matters
- Areas include: bankruptcy, tax, industrial law, intellectual property, trade practices
- Created in 1976 under s 71 of the Constitution
- 处理联邦法律事务
- 领域包括：破产、税收、劳工法、知识产权、贸易实践
- 1976年根据宪法第71条创建
Family Court of Australia
- Specialized in family law matters
- Divorce, child custody, property settlement
- 专门处理家庭法律事务
- 离婚、子女监护权、财产分配
Federal Circuit Court
- Handles less complex federal cases
- Provides a simpler, faster alternative to the Federal Court
- 处理较不复杂的联邦案件
- 为联邦法院提供更简单、更快速的替代选择
State and Territory Courts
州和领地法院
Each state and territory has its own court system, typically with three levels:
每个州和领地都有自己的法院系统，通常有三个级别：
Supreme Court
- Highest state/territory court
- Handles the most serious criminal cases and large civil claims
- Has appeal divisions
- 州/领地最高法院
- 处理最严重的刑事案件和大型民事索赔
- 设有上诉部门
District/County Court
- Middle-level court
- Handles serious criminal matters and larger civil claims
- Not all territories have this level
- 中级法院
- 处理严重刑事案件和较大民事索赔
- 并非所有领地都有这一级别
Magistrates/Local Court
- Lowest level court
- Handles less serious criminal cases and small civil claims
- Handles the majority of cases
- 最低级别法院
- 处理较不严重的刑事案件和小额民事索赔
- 处理大多数案件
Important Concepts
重要概念
Jurisdiction (管辖权)
The authority of a court to hear and decide certain types of cases.
法院审理和裁决某些类型案件的权限。
Types of Jurisdiction (管辖权类型)
- Original jurisdiction - authority to hear a case first
- Appellate jurisdiction - authority to review decisions of lower courts
- 初审管辖权 - 首先审理案件的权限
- 上诉管辖权 - 审查下级法院判决的权限
Example (例子)
A shoplifting case will typically start in a Magistrates Court (original jurisdiction). If the defendant appeals, it might go to the District Court and potentially to the Supreme Court (appellate jurisdiction).
一个商店盗窃案通常会在治安法院开始审理（初审管辖权）。如果被告上诉，案件可能会进入区法院，甚至可能进入最高法院（上诉管辖权）。
The Appeal Process
上诉程序
What is an Appeal? (什么是上诉？)
An appeal is a request to a higher court to review a decision made by a lower court.
上诉是向高级法院请求复审低级法院所作决定的要求。
Grounds for Appeal (上诉理由)
- Error of law (法律错误)
- Procedural irregularity (程序不规范)
- New evidence (in limited circumstances) (新证据，在有限情况下)
- 法律错误
- 程序不规范
- 新证据（在有限情况下）
Appeal Path Example (上诉路径示例)
A business contract dispute in NSW might follow this path:
- Local Court (if small claim) →
- District Court →
- NSW Supreme Court →
- High Court of Australia
在新南威尔士州的商业合同纠纷可能遵循这一路径：
- 地方法院（如果是小额索赔）→
- 区法院 →
- 新南威尔士州最高法院 →
- 澳大利亚高等法院
Court Roles and Parties
法院角色和当事人
In Civil Cases (在民事案件中)
- Plaintiff (原告) - The person/entity bringing the case
- Defendant (被告) - The person/entity defending against the claim
- Judge (法官) - The person who decides the case
- 原告 - 提出案件的人/实体
- 被告 - 对抗诉讼的人/实体
- 法官 - 裁决案件的人
In Criminal Cases (在刑事案件中)
- Prosecution/Crown (检控方/王室) - Represents the state
- Accused/Defendant (被告) - Person charged with the crime
- Judge (法官) - Decides questions of law
- Jury (陪审团) (in some cases) - Decides questions of fact
- 检控方/王室 - 代表国家
- 被告 - 被指控犯罪的人
- 法官 - 决定法律问题
- 陪审团 (在某些案件中) - 决定事实问题
In Appeals (在上诉中)
- Appellant (上诉人) - Person appealing the decision
- Respondent (答辩人) - Person responding to the appeal
- 上诉人 - 对决定提出上诉的人
- 答辩人 - 回应上诉的人
Real-World Application (现实应用)
Business Context Example (商业环境示例)
A small business owner faces these scenarios:
- Contract dispute with supplier: Starts in Local Court or Magistrates Court
- Intellectual property infringement: Federal Court has jurisdiction
- Unfair dismissal claim from employee: Fair Work Commission, then Federal Circuit Court
- Tax dispute with government: Administrative Appeals Tribunal, then Federal Court
小企业主面临这些情况：
- 与供应商的合同纠纷：在地方法院或治安法院开始
- 知识产权侵权：联邦法院有管辖权
- 员工不公平解雇投诉：公平工作委员会，然后是联邦巡回法院
- 与政府的税务纠纷：行政上诉法庭，然后是联邦法院
Summary Table: Court Jurisdiction (法院管辖权总结表)
| Court Level | Examples of Cases | Who Hears Cases |
|---|---|---|
| High Court of Australia | Constitutional issues, final appeals | 7 justices (usually 5 or 3 for cases) |
| Federal Court | Bankruptcy, copyright, trade practices | Federal Court judges |
| State Supreme Courts | Serious crime, large civil claims | Supreme Court judges |
| District/County Courts | Middle-range crime, civil claims | District/County Court judges |
| Magistrates/Local Courts | Traffic offenses, small claims | Magistrates |