What is the highest court for criminal and civil cases in England and Wales ?
In the early centuries , the justices and judges were responsible for adapting the Writ system to meet everyday needs , applying a mixture of precedent and common sense to build up a body of internally consistent law , e.g. , the Law Merchant began in the Pie - Powder Courts , see Court of Piepowder ( a corruption of the Law French " pieds - poudrés " or " dusty feet " , meaning ad hoc marketplace courts ) .