The United Kingdom has three distinct legal jurisdictions: Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England and Wales. Although there are subtle differences among the three independent judicial systems, they share much of the same common law. This introduction will focus on fundamental court structure in England and Wales. The Scottish and Northern Ireland systems are similarly structured with separate branches for criminal and civil actions. The civil branch has trial courts, known as county courts and high courts (where most media cases begin), appellate courts and the Supreme Court (formerly known as the House of Lords). Parliament, composed of the House of Commons and the House of Lords in a bicameral structure, has authority to pass various Acts of Parliament, also called statutes, to create new laws. The hierarchical structure of the British court system demands that all lower courts abide by any higher court's ruling. Civil actions, depending on the financial magnitude of the claim and the societal implications of the legal issue at hand, are initially heard in either a County Court or a High Court.