[国际新闻] 英国司法制度大改革 法官出庭不用戴假发

日月光

英国司法委员会12日宣布，法官今后出庭可以视情况不戴假发。有分析人士指出这标志着英国司法制度的重大改革。法官戴假发的传统在英国已经维持了几百年。
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　　综合报道，根据新规定，今后民事法庭开庭时，法官与律师可以不戴白色假发，但在刑事法庭上这假发一般情况下还是得戴。csuchen.de' W( a* T! d% Z2 a: ^, \
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　　英国在2003年进行的民调显示，有近70%的英国人认为，英国应该废除戴假发制度，让律师跟法官更轻松，也替国家省钱。英国从17世纪起就要求律师跟法官出庭时，必须戴假发。这个白色发套用马毛编织而成，价格从400英镑到1500英镑不等。英国司法部门官员表示，律师不戴假发的决定此前已经经过了广泛咨询和探讨。据悉，在英国最高法院工作的法官至少要准备5套工作服装。
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　　但仍有些英国司法人员希望继续使用发套，因为发套象征着权利，也使人不容易看清楚他们的真面目，保护他们的安全。
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1 y! a* ?8 N8 B# ]9 \% PLord Nicholas Addison Phillips of Worth Matravers, the new Lord Chief Justice, joins judges at Westminster Abbey in central London, during an annual event marking the start of the legal year, in this October 3, 2005 file photo. Lawyers and judges are to break with centuries-old tradition and cease wearing horse-hair wigs of white fake curls in non-criminal cases, the head of the country's judiciary announced on Thursday.$ T( n3 U1 y8 s
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Judges abandon traditional wig and gown in civil casescsuchen.de# t/ G  S! O$ x) J7 Y

/ L" g! U; A. u' A9 I, oJudges are to end centuries of tradition and abandon the wearing of wigs and gowns in hundreds of civil and family cases.% m, A7 n$ o8 {. R) y+ D2 A
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The decision to abolish the 300-year-old horsehair headgear, along with wing collars and bands, was announced yesterday by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers.' ?1 a9 b3 z4 T4 Z
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However, in a compromise ending one of the most hotly disputed legal debates of recent years, judges sitting in criminal courts will continue to wear their wigs.. r1 }! ^3 s# a" T& d# K$ n
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And solicitor-advocates, who have long fought for parity with barristers, will be allowed to wear the same traditional costume that is the hallmark of the Bar. The issue of what judges and advocates should wear has split the profession and been the subject of several lengthy consultation exercises.
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5 V$ N, T* @- t% ?, N* @7 dLord Phillips, Britain’s most senior judge, acknowledged that there was still dissent. He said: “While there will never be unanimity of view about court dress, the desirability of these changes has a broad measure of agreement.”3 E2 j/ C5 Q" v8 z4 b) Z8 L
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The reforms, to take effect on January 1, mean that all 1,300 judges from the High Court down to the rank of deputy district judge, who sit in civil and family cases, will wear a new, simple gown. There is still no agreement on design.
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One suggestion is for a dressing-gown style of robe with a simple sash coloured according to rank; another is for a European-style gown buttoning up to the neck./ z; L% ^( h  d: r
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In most family cases judges already dispense with wigs and gowns and also in commercial cases where the litigants, often from foreign jurisdictions, are not used to legal costume.
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But the change will be noticeable in other civil cases, particularly in the High Court and Court of Appeal.
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One casualty of the changes will be the full-bottomed wig, worn on ceremonial occasions.
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The allowance for newly appointed circuit judges of £2,595 to buy this wig will be scrapped.
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Lord Phillips also announced the scrapping of the five different costumes worn by High Court judges.
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The cost of supplying the new civil gown is estimated at about £200,000 but annual savings of about £300,000 are expected from the other changes.人在德国 社区7 U% s) Z) b' @
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Michael Caplan, QC, a solicitor-advocate, said: “This is very good news. Although court dress will not be compulsory, it will be the expectation that everyone will be similarly dressed; and this has to be right.”csuchen.de: y; u. N8 u9 r# u; f

6 X4 a  {" s% ?0 nBut wigmakers said the reforms would lead to job losses. Several companies make lawyers’ wigs, employing about 100 craftsmen and women.
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Judges’ full-bottomed wigs can be bought off the shelf or made to measure, costing £1,995 from the outfitter Stanley Ley, which was established in 1903. Judges’ everyday “bench” wigs are £795, while barristers’ hairpieces are £458. Barristers’ robes range from £134 to £180, or up to £1,094 for a QC’s silk version.