Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

The highest court in the United Kingdom for civil cases throughout the country and criminal cases in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It hears appeals on points of law and decides important constitutional questions.

Appellate jurisdiction: A court’s authority to review decisions made by lower courts. The Supreme Court usually reviews appeals rather than hearing cases first.
United Kingdom constitutional law: The rules, principles, and conventions governing the United Kingdom’s state institutions. The Court resolves disputes about the powers and limits of those institutions.
Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876: A British statute that established the office and judicial role of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. It formalized the senior judges who exercised the House of Lords’ appellate jurisdiction.
High Court of Justiciary: Scotland’s highest criminal court, serving as both a trial court and an appeal court. Scottish criminal appeals ordinarily end here rather than proceeding to the Supreme Court.
Miller v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union: A 2017 Supreme Court case holding that ministers could not trigger Article 50 without parliamentary authorization. The judgment defined Parliament’s role in initiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.
Permission to appeal: A court’s authorization for a proposed appeal to proceed. Most cases require permission before the Court will consider an appeal.
Devolution in the United Kingdom: The transfer of legislative and executive powers to institutions in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Court determines whether devolved bodies have acted within their legal powers.
Law Lords: Senior judges who exercised the House of Lords’ judicial functions before 2009. They formed the predecessor institution whose work passed to the Supreme Court.
Court of Appeal of England and Wales: The principal intermediate appellate court for civil and criminal cases in England and Wales. Most appeals reaching the Supreme Court come through this appellate court.
R (Miller) v The Prime Minister: A 2019 Supreme Court case ruling that the advice to prorogue Parliament was unlawful. The Court set limits on executive power over Parliament’s ability to perform its constitutional functions.

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