Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

A civil case is a legal case involving civil law or common law, which involves disputes between individuals or organizations in which some form of compensation may be awarded to the victim. Criminal law, on the other hand, involves cases in which the state is against an individual as the individual has broken the state's laws. A civil case may also be referred to as civil action, civil proceedings, or a civil suit. Civil cases are almost exclusively intended to correct private issues such as breaches of contracts or various negligence issues. Public issues that affect individuals and the functioning of society as a whole are typically handled in criminal court. (WiseGEEK)

In a democratic society, someone charged with a crime has the opportunity to defend him/herself. He or she will be deemed to be innocent until proven guilty by a criminal court. (bbc.co.uk)

A justice of the peace court is the least authoritative type of criminal court in Scotland. The court operates under summary procedure and deals primarily with less serious criminal offences. (Wikipedia)

A court hearing is a gathering within a courtroom that is called for the purpose of conducting some type of legal procedure. There are many types of hearings, some of them involved with civil court issues while others focus on criminal court situations. (wiseGEEK)