Courts of Scotland
The courts of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Cùirtean na h-Alba) are responsible for administration of justice in Scotland, under statutory, common law and equitable provisions within Scots law.
The courts are presided over by the judiciary of Scotland, who are the various judicial office holders responsible for issuing judgments, ensuring fair trials, and deciding on sentencing.
Heraldry is regulated in Scotland both by the civil and criminal law, with prosecutions taken before the Court of the Lord Lyon.
The Military Courts of the United Kingdom have jurisdiction over all members of the armed forces of the United Kingdom and civilians subject to service discipline in relation to offences against military law.
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom operates across all three separate jurisdictions, hearing some civil - but not criminal - appeals in Scottish cases, and determining certain devolution and human rights issues.
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom was created on 1 October 2009 by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
Until the creation of the Supreme Court, ultimate appeal lay to the House of Lords, a chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (though in modern practice only the Law Lords sitting in the Appellate Committee, rather than the whole House, heard appeals).
As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in the Justiciary Building in the Lawnmarket in Edinburgh and in the Justiciary Buildings in the Saltmarket in Glasgow, but also sits from time to time in various other places in Scotland.
Appeals under the Human Rights Act 1998 and devolution appeals under the Scotland Act 1998 are heard by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (previously these were head by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council).
The court is based at the courthouse at Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, and initially sat on two consecutive days each fortnight.
The maximum penalty which can be imposed at this level is 60 days' imprisonment or a fine up to £2,500.
These tribunals have wide-ranging powers to issue supervision orders for the person referred to them by the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration.
Serious crimes, at the direction of a procurator fiscal, are still dealt with in the usual criminal courts.
It is headed by the Lord Lyon, who is King of Arms and senior herald for Scotland.
[18] It hears cases where the decision of a local Valuation Appeal Committee is disputed.
[20] The Scottish Land Court has jurisdiction over disputes involving agricultural tenancies and crofting rights.
[21][additional citation(s) needed] There are several specialist tribunals in Scotland which often have exclusive jurisdiction over cases relevant to their remit.
It dealt with petitions for suspension (appeal), interdict, sequestrations etc., and was the approximate equivalent to sittings in camera (in chambers) in American or English law.
They were introduced in 1975 and sat in each local council area under summary procedure only.
Established in the late 13th century the court was empowered to judge all cases of rioting, disorder, bloodshed, and murder if such crimes occurred within four miles of the King of Scots, the King's Council, or the Parliament of Scotland.
Following James VI's move to England, the jurisdiction of the Lord High Constable was defined in terms of the "resident place" appointed for the Privy Council.
