The UK Judiciary | AQA A-Level Politics (7152)
The UK Judiciary
- 52 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Paper 1: government and politics of the UK
- Paper 1
Judicial independence and impartiality, the reforms that separated the top court from the legislature, and what judicial review lets the courts do to ministers — including the Miller rulings..
It covers judicial Independence and Impartiality, the Constitutional Reform Act, Separation of Powers and Appointments, the UK Supreme Court and the Grounds of Judicial Review and judicial Review and the Miller Cases.
Sample questions from The UK Judiciary
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Judicial Independence and Impartiality
Define judicial impartiality.
Show the answer
The principle that judges must decide cases on the law and the evidence alone, without personal or political bias. -
Judicial Independence and Impartiality
Explain what security of tenure means for senior judges.
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They hold office during good behaviour and can be removed only by the monarch after an address from both Houses, so they cannot be sacked for unpopular rulings. -
The Constitutional Reform Act, Separation of Powers and Appointments
Which body selects most judges in England and Wales?
Show the answer
The Judicial Appointments Commission. -
The Constitutional Reform Act, Separation of Powers and Appointments
Describe the social composition of the senior judiciary.
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It remains predominantly older, white and male, and disproportionately privately and Oxbridge educated, although diversity is slowly increasing. -
The UK Supreme Court and the Grounds of Judicial Review
Which cases does the Court agree to hear?
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Cases raising an arguable point of law of general public importance, and normally only where permission to appeal has been granted. -
The UK Supreme Court and the Grounds of Judicial Review
Name two remedies a court can grant in judicial review.
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A quashing order and a mandatory order. -
Judicial Review and the Miller Cases
What did the Belmarsh ruling of 2004 decide?
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That the indefinite detention without trial of foreign terrorist suspects was incompatible with Convention rights because it was disproportionate and discriminatory. -
Judicial Review and the Miller Cases
Give the counter-argument to judicial overreach.
Show the answer
Judges are enforcing limits Parliament itself has enacted, and holding ministers to the law is exactly what the rule of law requires.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Judicial Independence and Impartiality | Recall questions on what the judiciary is and on the difference between being independent of government and being impartial between parties. | 8 |
| The Constitutional Reform Act, Separation of Powers and Appointments | Recall questions on the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and judicial independence, the separation of powers, how judges are appointed, the social make-up of the senior judiciary and why it matters. | 16 |
| The UK Supreme Court and the Grounds of Judicial Review | Recall questions on the creation, size and jurisdiction of the UK Supreme Court, and on judicial review, its grounds of illegality, irrationality and procedural impropriety, and the remedies courts can grant. | 15 |
| Judicial Review and the Miller Cases | Recall questions on what the courts can and cannot do to Acts and to ministerial decisions, and on the rulings of 2017 and 2019. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Politics Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,215 questions with their answers.