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The U.K’s new Supreme Court

The United Kingdom is following the lead of America this month, the U.K. replaced its Law Lords, a committee of noblemen that served as the highest tribunal for much of Britain with the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

The name is similar to that of the top American court. Also for the first time, the U.K.'s highest court is fully separated, American-style, from Parliament and its legislative function.

The occasion is noteworthy enough that the U.S. Supreme Court canceled its session so that Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer could attend the U.K. court's opening, with Queen Elizabeth II presiding.

As Britain looks to address shortcomings in its centuries-old system, it is sometimes finding that the U.S. offers alternatives that can be adapted to its own legal infrastructure.

The U.K. isn't seeking to clone the U.S. legal system that has evolved, with plenty of its own idiosyncrasies, over the past 200-plus years. And there remain many significant differences between the two supreme courts. The U.S. court derives its power from the U.S. Constitution, while the British court is created by Parliament. The British court generally doesn't have the power to strike down legislation, as its counterpart across the Atlantic does.

The new U.K. court is meant to be a modern upgrade, with a simpler structure, televised hearings and easier to access for the public. Nicholas Phillips, president of the new court, says a key benefit is making the whole process "more transparent."

Offically, the Supreme Court doesn't assume any new powers. The new U.K. court, like the Law Lords before it, will have the final word on all kinds of cases other than criminal matters in Scotland, which remain under the Scottish legal system's High Court of Justiciary.

The new Supreme Court occupies the former Middlesex Guildhall building, which dates from 1913 and cost £58.9 million to refurbish. Its located across the street from Parliament the Law Lords were previously housed in the Parliament building, because the court and its justices were actually a committee of the House of Lords.

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