There are two types of law in the UK, criminal and civil. Criminal Law is where the state (or a private individual) seeks to punish a crime (something that the state has decided is prohibited). For example, murder is a criminal offence and necessitates a criminal trial if someone is suspected of having committed it. Civil law is where courts adjudicate on disputes between parties and allows for parties to seek compensation and damages. For example, defamation is not a criminal offence, but is a civil wrong, and can therefore only be adjudicated in the civil courts.

Since the Supreme Court was established in 2009, there have been a number of significant examples of judicial review that have taken place. As the UK’s final court of appeal for both civil and criminal cases, the Supreme Court is the final judicial adjudicator on key legal and constitutional issues bought before it. Cases come to the Supreme Court after they have previously been handled by the lower courts: