School: Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Track: Youth Class: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) Presented by: Minister Destiny Marie Morgan, Muslim Ordained Minister
This lesson is educational information and is not legal advice. Laws vary by state. If you are in danger right now, call 911.
Before you start
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- This lesson is a trip around the world. Other countries run their courts and governments differently from ours — different on purpose, because of their own histories. Different does not mean wrong; it means learning the local rules, like learning a new game.
The lesson
Part 1. Courts in Our Country — A Quick Map
In the United States, we actually have two court systems side by side. State courts handle most everyday cases: most crimes, family matters, contracts, and accidents. Federal courts handle cases about federal law — the laws of the whole country.
In many of our courtrooms, the decision-maker is a jury: ordinary citizens who hear both sides and decide what happened. Above the trial courts sit appeals courts, which check whether the first court followed the rules. At the top is the U.S. Supreme Court. One more special feature: our courts can strike down a law that conflicts with the Constitution — a power called judicial review, started by a famous 1803 case, Marbury v. Madison.
Hold on to three pictures: juries of citizens, two systems side by side, and courts that can say "that law breaks the Constitution." Now let's travel.
Part 2. Other Countries Run Courts Differently — And That Is Normal
Most countries in Europe, Latin America, and much of Asia use a system built on big written rule books called codes. Instead of a jury, professional judges usually decide cases — sometimes with ordinary citizens beside them on a panel — and the judge asks most of the questions, working from a thick case file. That style is called the inquisitorial system: "the court investigates." Our style — two sides arguing while the judge referees — is called adversarial.
Some countries mix systems together, use religious law for topics like family matters, or follow customary law — rules from long traditions. Scholars group all this into "legal families," like a family tree for law. The United States belongs to the common law family, shared with England, Canada, and Australia. France, Germany, Brazil, and Japan belong mostly to the civil law family of codes. (Careful: "civil law" here means the code-based family, not a "civil case" at home.)
Part 3. Governments Come in Different Shapes
Countries also organize the top of the government in different shapes:
- In a republic like ours, the leader is chosen, not born into the job, and a constitution sets the rules.
- In a constitutional monarchy — like the United Kingdom or Japan — a monarch is head of state, but elected leaders actually govern.
- In a parliamentary system, voters choose a parliament, and its majority picks the prime minister. If the parliament loses confidence, the government can change quickly, without waiting for an election.
- In a presidential system like ours, voters elect the president separately, for a set number of years.
- Some countries are federal like us, sharing power between a national government and states or provinces. Others are unitary, where the national government holds the main power.
- Some governments do not hold free elections at all; power sits with one leader or one party.
Part 4. Rules Between Countries — A First Look at International Law
Countries also need rules for dealing with each other. That body of rules is called international law, built mostly from treaties — written agreements countries sign and promise to keep, like contracts between nations.
After World War II, countries created the United Nations (the UN) to solve problems by talking instead of fighting. Almost every country belongs — 193 of them. The UN has a court, the International Court of Justice (the World Court), which settles arguments between countries — it does not put people on trial. A different court, the International Criminal Court, tries individual people for the very worst crimes in the world, only when their own country's courts cannot or will not.
Here is the honest part: there is no world police force. International law works because countries keep their promises and pressure each other when promises break. It is weaker than law inside a country — and it still runs much of daily life: passports work abroad, packages cross oceans, and a treaty says the consulate must be told when one of its citizens is arrested abroad.
Part 5. Why This Matters to You
Someday you may travel, study, work, or have family in another country. When you are in another country, that country's laws and courts are the ones that apply to you. Knowing that ahead of time is not scary — it is smart, like learning the rules before a new game.
It matters at home, too. Classmates and neighbors may come from countries with different systems. When someone says "that's not how court works," you can answer kindly: "It's how court works there — let me tell you how it's built."
Words to know — Courts and Governments Around the World
- Jury — ordinary citizens who listen to a case and decide what happened.
- Appeals court — a court that checks whether a lower court followed the rules.
- Judicial review — a court's power to strike down a law that conflicts with the constitution.
- Legal family — a group of countries whose legal systems are built the same basic way.
- Civil law family — the systems built mainly on written codes, where professional judges usually decide.
- Treaty — a written agreement between countries that they promise to keep.
- International law — the rules countries have agreed to follow with each other.
- United Nations — the organization of 193 member countries, founded in 1945.
Myths vs facts — Courts and Governments Around the World
- Myth: Every country has juries like ours. Fact: Juries belong mostly to our legal family. In most of the world, professional judges decide — sometimes with citizens on a panel.
- Myth: The United Nations is a world government. Fact: The UN is an organization of countries. It cannot overrule them; it works through agreements.
- Myth: The World Court can arrest people. Fact: The International Court of Justice settles arguments between countries. It never tries people.
- Myth: If a country does things differently, its system must be broken. Fact: Systems grow from each country's history. Different designs can each work.
- Myth: International law never affects regular people. Fact: Passports, mail, travel, and consulate help abroad all exist because of agreements between countries.
Think it through — Courts and Governments Around the World
You are watching a show with your family. In the story, a character is in court in another country. There is no jury — just judges asking questions from a big file — and your cousin says, "That's fake. Courts don't work like that."
Walk it through:
- Part 1 gives you our picture: juries, two systems, courts that can strike down laws — our design.
- Part 2 explains what you are seeing: a civil law system, where professional judges investigate from a case file. That style — inquisitorial — covers most of the world.
- The kind, correct answer: "It's real — just a different legal family. Ours uses juries. Theirs uses judges with a file. Both try to be fair, in different ways."
Cases & codes to study — Courts and Governments Around the World
For this topic, the "codes" are two famous documents. Both are free to read.
The law itself — read the real words
- The Constitution of the United States — the rule book for our government: it creates the courts (Article III) and protects rights like jury trials. Read it free at the National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution
- The Charter of the United Nations (1945) — the agreement that created the United Nations and the World Court. Read it: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text
Where to read the real thing, free: the National Archives (https://www.archives.gov) for America's founding documents; the United Nations (https://www.un.org) for the Charter.
Try this — Courts and Governments Around the World
- ☐ Pick a country you are curious about: jury or judges? Republic or monarchy? Federal or unitary? Write one line for each.
- ☐ Explain the difference between the World Court and the International Criminal Court — who goes before each one?
- ☐ Read the UN Charter's first page (the Preamble). Write down one promise the countries made.
- ☐ Draw two courtrooms: ours, and one from a civil law country. Label who decides in each.
Resources to keep — Courts and Governments Around the World
- National Archives (archives.gov) — America's founding documents, free.
- United Nations (un.org) — the UN Charter and explainers about how the UN works.
- JuriGlobe — World Legal Systems (juriglobe.ca) — a University of Ottawa map of how every country's legal system is built (explore it with a teacher or parent if you like).
What you earned / what's next — Courts and Governments Around the World
✅ Courts and Governments Around the World complete (quiz score 80% or higher): you can describe U.S. courts, explain how other countries build theirs differently, name the main shapes governments take, and say what international law and the United Nations are. Your certificate names this topic — keep it with pride.
Your certificate
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Certificate of Completion — Courts and Governments Around the World
This certificate is presented by Muslim Ordained Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
Awarded to: ______________________________ (write your name here after you download — your name is never collected or stored by this school)
Date completed: ______________
You just traveled the whole world in one lesson and learned how its courts and governments are built. Most grown-ups cannot explain that — you can. Keep going; I am proud of you. — Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
This is a certificate of educational completion from Minister Destiny Testimony Schools. It is not a state license, a government certification, or legal training for representing anyone.
What's next: Return to the Topic Library for your next Year 1 Foundations unit.
Sources
- Charter of the United Nations (1945) — United Nations (https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text) — the UN's founding agreement (Part 4).
- Constitution of the United States — National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution) — Article III and jury-trial rights (Part 1).
- JuriGlobe — World Legal Systems, University of Ottawa (https://www.juriglobe.ca/eng/syst-demo/index-alpha.php) — the legal-family groupings (Part 2).
- International Court of Justice (https://www.icj-cij.org) — the World Court's own description of its work (Part 4).
- OpenStax, Introduction to Political Science (openstax.org) — parliamentary/presidential comparisons checked against Part 3.
Your Progress — On Your Device Only
- Learning outcomes: On completing this unit, the student can:
- describe the two U.S. court systems and the role of juries and appeals;
- explain how civil-law courts differ — professional judges, case files, judge-led questioning;
- name the main government shapes: republic, constitutional monarchy, parliamentary, presidential, federal, unitary;
- explain what international law and a treaty are, and what the United Nations and the World Court do;
- state why international law has no world police, and give two daily-life examples of it.
- Study time: Approximately 45 minutes — an estimate covering reading, activities, and the test. Students move at their own pace.
- Assessment: A 10-question test drawn only from this unit's lesson. 80% or higher passes and earns the unit certificate. Answers are not shown; your score is saved only in your own browser on this device, and retakes are allowed.
- Level: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) · Youth school · working rank on completion path: Freshman → Sophomore.
- Version: Version 1.0 — October 2026.
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools — Youth. Educational information only, not legal advice. Help lines: 911 · 988 (call or text) · Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) · Childhelp 1-800-422-4453.