rule of law Flashcards
(142 cards)
the rule of law is the organising principle of?
political thought
the rule of law prescribes the formal requirements of legal norms, which are?
law must be general, certain, stable, accessible and prospective
what are De Smith’s idea’s on the rule of law
a) the powers exercised by politicians and officials must have a legitimate foundation; they must be based on authority conferred by law; and
b) the law should conform to minimum standards of justice, both substantive and procedural
the rule of law is 3 things what are they?
- a fundamental requirement of civil society
- a substantive as well as procedural concept
- a norm of institutional morality for the guidance of public action
how does legal positivist scholarship view the rule of law
procedural (minimalist) concept, identifying the formal requirements of law but eschewing any prescriptive content - no necessary or minimum moral content
how do natural lawyers view the rule of law
argue it must imply more than ‘government according to law’
- to allow totalitarian regimes to claim the mantle of the rule of law would discredit the concept as a means of social regulation
- a legal system emptied of moral content cannot command a general duty of obedience to the law
- respect for elementary consideration of humanity requires the rule of law to afford protection against pernicious, invasive or degrading laws
what does Lord Hope say about Parliamentary Sovereignty in the foxhunting case?
“Parliamentary Sovereignty is no longer, if it ever was, absolute”
the in extremis power is one of last resort, to be exercised only when ?
the most exceptional circumstances mandated exceptional action
the Magna Carta and the rule of law are ____ joined
unseparably
Coke - the kind “hath no prerogative but …
that which the law of the land allows him
Lord Camden CJ “if it is law, it will be found in our Books. If it is not to be found there, …
it is not law
define a totalitarian regime
a dictatorship, not governed by the rule of law and often resulting in human rights abuses. they are despotic, oppressive and tyrannous
define laissez faire
“let do” - the concept of limited governance and the general principle of non-interference in people’s lives
define habeas corpus
writ to a jailor to produce a prisoner in person before the court and to state the reasons for detention
define a priori
reasoning from logically prior principles or pre-existing knowledge
define in extremis power
in the last extremity/in desperate circumstances
the rule of law is the ____ principle of legality under the Westminster system
ultimate
what are the two conceptions of the rule of law
positivist (thin/minimalist) vs natural law conceptions (thick)
what are Dicey’s 3 principles of the rule of law
supremacy of regular law, equal application of the law and all are bound by the law no matter their station (governments and the governed), critical importance of common law principles of freedom and liberty - now largely codified in NZBORA
Lord Hope, in the Foxhunting case, said the rule of law enforced by the courts is the ____ ____ ____ on which our constitution is based
ultimate controlling factor
the rule of law seeks to reconcile ___ ___ ___ and ___ ___ __ ____
organised state power and personal autonomy and liberty
Hobbes and Locke were both concerned with which one question?
why did man walk out of a state of nature and enter into civil society
how did Thomas Hobbes want to ensure protection by rules
establish an all powerful sovereign termed Leviathan and the monarch was the most natural person to be that all powerful sovereign
why did Hobbes say man walked out of nature
because Man’s predicament was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” - these aspects were lacking due to lack of protection and rules