...Certainty in the law is a concept for which the Administration of Justice strives. Judicial precedent promotes certainty in case law while Statutory Interpretation promotes certainty in legislation. Discuss these statements with reference to the principles and rules of Judicial Precedent and Statutory Interpretation. Illustrate your answer by reference to cases. Individuals have different perceptions, and businesses operate in a market-based system, where production is fuelled by profit maximization. Conflict will inevitably arise. Law helps societies maintain social order, which enables individuals to interact, and provides a framework within which businesses operate (Kelly, Holmes and Hayward). The law impacts different aspects of our lives. There are rules to govern property, health, and a range of human activities. Vernon Rich describes laws as “written expressions of the enactment or decree of legitimate governmental authority, which formally define standards of behaviour and provide for punishment by the government for those who disobey” (63). Since the consequences of disobeying laws can be severe, judges and legislators strive for certainty in case law and legislation, to ensure the most just ruling. Although critics argue that judicial precedent and statutory interpretation have limitations, they undoubtedly promote certainty in case law and legislation. Case law, or common law, is law enacted by judges based on decisions made in the cases they adjudicate...
Words: 2644 - Pages: 11
...NATIONAL UNIVERSITY «ODESSA LAW ACADEMY» Department of International Law and International Relations TERM PAPER In Legal Philosophy on topic: «Judicial Precedent» By the 1st year student of the 1st group Of the Faculty of International Legal Relations Supervisor: Prof. National scale ___________ Number of points ______ Assessment ECTS _______ Commission members: ___________ _______________________ ___________ _______________________ ___________ _______________________ ODESSA 2014 THEME: Judicial Precedent PLAN INTRODUCTION …………………………………..…………………………… 3CHAPTER 1. Judicial Precedent: generals 1.1. Definition of judicial precedent ………………………………….…... 51.2. The doctrine of stare decisis ……..………………………….……..… 61.3. Ratio decidendi and Obiter dictum …..………………………….....… 7CHAPTER 2. Types of precedent2.1. Verticality ……………………………………………………………. 102.2. Horizontality ………………………………………………………… 112.3. Binding precedent …………………………………………….……... 122.4. Persuasive precedent ………………………………………………… 15 CHAPTER 3. Avoiding precedent 3.1. Distinguishing …………………..……………………………………. 19 3.2. Overruling ……………………………………………………………. 19 3.3. Reversing ……………………………………………………………... 20 3.4. Per incuriam…………………………………………………………… 20 CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………………... 22LITERATURE …………………………………………………………………... 25 | INTRODUCTION At the present stage of development of Ukraine in the framework of the democratic process, there are the emergence...
Words: 6308 - Pages: 26
...HOW TO BRIEF A CASE [OR–WHY DIDN’T I CHOOSE TO GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL] By Dana L. Blatt, Esq. You are just about to start law school. You buy all of your required casebooks [they are about two feet thick–only “slightly” intimidating], and you receive your first assignment. You are simply told, “read the first 100 pages in each book and BRIEF all of the cases!” O.K., you know how to read [hopefully], but what does it mean to “brief” a case? You have heard of “briefcases,” but that is something that you carry around. The last time you sang at a karaoke bar someone may have asked you to be “brief,” but instinctively you know that that is not the kind of brief that is being discussed here. And you may even be wearing “briefs.” But, what is a brief of a case? For that matter, what is a case? The purpose of this article is to teach exactly what briefs are, why they are important, and how to draft them. You will learn most of the various ways to brief a case, the basic elements of each brief, and how briefs are used in various contexts. Additionally, you will read sample cases and briefs of those cases in every format. By the time you finish reading this, you will be so sick of briefs, that you will wish this writing were much briefer! So, now let’s get down to business. What is a case? A “case” starts out as a lawsuit between two or more people. The parties to the lawsuit have a trial and one party wins while the other loses (or possibly there is no...
Words: 17675 - Pages: 71
...Criminal law 1 IN T R O D U C TI O N This chapter explains the two main sources of criminal law in the UK: legislation, that is, Acts of Parliament (or statutes), and case law. It will give you an overview of the process by which Acts of Parliament come into existence as well as introducing you to European Union legislation and the European Convention on Human Rights, both of which have an influence on the law in the UK. You will also gain an understanding of the criminal courts in which cases are heard and the systems of law reporting which allow access to the judgments of those courts. As well as exploring the sources of law, this chapter will show you how to find legislation and case law using a variety of online resources. Finally, the chapter will give a brief introduction to finding the criminal law of overseas jurisdictions. An understanding of the criminal law is important to the study of criminology as it is the criminal law that defines certain forms of conduct as criminal. This criminal law can be contained in both statute law and case law, so it is essential that you understand the origins of both and the ways in which they interrelate. You should see that the criminal law is constantly changing and evolving in response to social, political, and technological influences which manifest themselves in new statutes or judicial interpretation of existing law. If you are studying criminology as an option on a law degree, then the content of this chapter should already...
Words: 7909 - Pages: 32
...Case note by Silent Assassins State of Gujarat V Mirzapur Moti Kureshi Kassab Jannat and others Court: Hon’ble Supreme Court of India Date: 26 October 2005 Bench: R.C. Lahoti, C.J.I., B.N. Agarwal, Arun Kumar, G.P. Mathur, C.K. Thakker, P.K. Balasubramanyam, JJ and A.K. Mathur. Introduction This is a case challenging certain amendments introduced in section 5 of Bombay animal preservation act, 1954(as applicable to the state of Gujarat). It’s a public interest case based on constitutional law. The Gujarat high court struck down the said provision as ultra-vires to the constitution as opposed to the fundamental rights (article-19) and directive principle. This amendment was introduced to prevent slaughtering of animals without obtaining in writing from the competent authority appointed for the area that the animal is fit for slaughter. Facts The constitutional validity of the above said legislation, that is, the Bombay Animal Preservation (Gujarat Amendment) Act, 1994 was put in issue by four writ petitions filed in the High Court which were heard and disposed of by a common judgment dated April 16, 1998. Two of the writ petitions were filed by individuals who were butchers by profession, and are known as Kureshis. Two writ petitions were filed by the representative bodies of Kureshis. The High Court allowed the writ petitions and struck down the impugned legislation as ultra vires the Constitution. The High Court held that the Amendment...
Words: 1078 - Pages: 5
...given either by a supreme or a subordinate Court. A judicial precedent contains in itself a principle of law. Judicial precedents are an important source of law. They have enjoyed high authority at all times and in all countries . the common law of England has been built up the decisions of England judges. There are so many reasons why precedents operates as an authoritative source of law and it also has many kinds according to its probative force. decisions than to the views of text writers. A judicial precedent speaks with authority. It is an evidence of law and source of it. The authority of precedents is great because of power, skill and professional reputation of judges who make them. Judicial precedent means the process whereby judges follow previously decided cases where the facts are of sufficient similarity. The doctrine of judicial precedent involves an application of the principle of stare decisis, which is Latin for "let the decision stand" i.e. to stand by the decided. In practice, this means that inferior courts are bound to apply the legal principles set down by superior courts in earlier cases. Judge made law via the cases upon which they decide is one of the oldest sources of law. This provides in the law consistency and predictability. Judicial precedent means a judgment of a court of law cited as an authority for deciding a similar set of facts; a case which serves as authority for the legal principle embodied in its decision. A judicial precedent is a decision...
Words: 4997 - Pages: 20
...DISPUTE Establishment of Panel TBT Annex 1.1 GATT Arts. III:4, XX and XXIII:1(b) Circulation of Panel Report Circulation of AB Report Adoption 25 November 1998 18 September 2000 12 March 2001 5 April 2001 Respondent European Communities 1. MEASURE AND PRODUCT AT ISSUE • • Measure at issue: France's ban on asbestos (Decree No. 96-1133). Product at issue: Imported asbestos (and products containing asbestos) vs certain domestic substitutes such as PVA, cellulose and glass (“PCG”) fibres (and products containing such substitutes). 2. SUMMARY OF KEY PANEL/AB FINDINGS • TBT Annex 1.1 (technical regulation): The Appellate Body, having rejected the Panel's approach of separating the measure into the ban and the exceptions, reversed the Panel and concluded that the ban as an “integrated whole” was a “technical regulation” as defined in Annex 1.1 and thus covered by the TBT Agreement, as (i) the products subject to the ban were identifiable (i.e. any products containing asbestos); (ii) the measure was a whole laid down product characteristics; and (iii) compliance with the measure was mandatory. However, the Appellate Body did not complete the legal analysis of Canada's TBT claims as it did not have an “adequate basis” upon which to examine them. GATT Art. III:4 (national treatment – domestic laws and regulations): As the Appellate Body found the Panel's likeness analysis between asbestos and PCG fibres and between cement-based products containing asbestos and those containing...
Words: 639 - Pages: 3
...Precedent and the Court Structure The law in the UK is made up of primarily two sources: statute and precedent. Although judges are required to apply statute - interpretation of statute follows common law principles including precedents. Precedents are a concept in common law (England and Wales and other English speaking countries – US, Canada (except Quebec), Gibralter, Hong Kong etc) whereby a previous case if similar (in facts) is used to provide a consistent basis for decisions. Precedents are "binding" on a lower court that is to say they must be followed by a lower court if the decision was made by a higher court. They should also be followed by that court itself. The Latin term Stare Decisis (to maintain what has already been decided) is used to define this. When a judgement is handed down by a judge it is in two parts 1. the ratio decidendi (the reason why) and 2. the orbita dictum (said by the way). The ratio decidendi is binding. The orbita dictum can be cited as persuasive but is not binding. Similarly a lower courts decision can be persuasive to a higher court but is not binding. The general concepts of the above are referred to as "case law" and help to develop and modify the law. Subsequently a great part of the work of a lawyer in a trial is to show how the facts of the particular case differ or resemble other cases to make their points of law in front of the court. In civil law precedent is not followed in the same way and judges theoretically use...
Words: 681 - Pages: 3
...1) Teddy’s Supplies’ CEO has asked you to advise him on the facts of the case and your opinion of their potential liability. He wants to settle the case. Write a memo to him which states your view of whether the company is exposed to liability on all issues you feel are in play. Include in your memo any laws which apply and any precedential cases either for or against Teddy’s case which impact liability. Include in the memo your suggested “offer of settlement” to Virginia. Back up your offer using your analysis of the case against Teddy’s. Ms. Pollard was involuntarily transferred to a different environment, working in a warehouse surrounded by all men. Although she was transferred because she needed to be in an environment in which she would not be making so many personal calls, she never asked to be relocated to the warehouse. Being that Ms. Pollard could not report the events to her direct supervisor because he was involved in the incidents, she attempted to file an anonymous complaint online but the website was not working. Teddy’s needs to ensure that their website is working properly at all times in order to avoid this type of situation. The case states that Ms. Pollard’s supervisor (Steve King) rarely enforced any of Teddy’s rules to include smoking, horseplay, foul language and sexual harassment. This does not vie well for Teddy’s because he is already known for being a lenient boss. It does not mention that Steve King’s supervisor ever had a conversation with him regarding...
Words: 277 - Pages: 2
...Review the Virginia Pollard case information located at the beginning of this project: You Decide ES. (If you click here, you will return to the face-sheet of the project area. To return to this page, click the Begin button again. You can do this all week.) To do well on this project, study the readings for this week and consider the work we did in Week 5. You may want to do some outside research for this project as well, reviewing recent case law on discrimination and harassment and including that in your answers to the project. Do not discuss this project with your classmates. You should do the work on your own. This project is "pooled," meaning your classmates may have different questions than you do. This project is worth 100 points toward your final grade. You can access this area all week and continue updating your answers until the end of the week – be sure to hit "save answers" before leaving each time! When you are done working on the project, hit "Submit for grade," and then it will be available in the grade book for grading. Your role in answering the questions: You are the independent human resources consultant hired by Teddy's Supplies to help explain to the company what the case against them will entail. You have gleaned the facts from your investigations into the situation to date. You have never talked with Virginia Pollard. The case is currently in the appeals stage and the company executives have some questions for you. Answer them using the most recent legal...
Words: 2489 - Pages: 10
...Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning Answers to Questions in the Reviewing Feature AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER 1A. PARTIES The automobile manufacturers are the plaintiffs, and the state of California is the defendant. 2A. Remedy The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction, an equitable remedy, to prevent the state of California from enforcing its statute restricting carbon dioxide emissions. 3A. Source of law This case involves a law passed by the California legislature and a federal statute; thus the primary source of law is statutory law. 4A. Finding the law Federal statutes are found in the United States Code, and California statutes are published in the California Code. You would look in these sources to find the relevant state and federal statutes. Answer to Debate This Question in the Reviewing Feature at the End of the Chapter UNDER THE DOCTRINE OF STARE DECISIS, COURTS ARE OBLIGATED TO FOLLOW THE PRECEDENTS ESTABLISHED IN THEIR JURISDICTIONS UNLESS THERE IS A COMPELLING REASON NOT TO. SHOULD U.S. COURTS CONTINUE TO ADHERE TO THIS COMMON LAW PRINCIPLE, GIVEN THAT OUR GOVERNMENT NOW REGULATES SO MANY AREAS BY STATUTE? BOTH ENGLAND AND THE U.S. LEGAL SYSTEMS WERE CONSTRUCTED ON THE COMMON LAW SYSTEM. THE DOCTRINE OF STARE DECISIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MAJOR PART OF THIS SYSTEM—COURTS SHOULD FOLLOW PRECEDENTS WHEN THEY ARE CLEARLY ESTABLISHED, EXCEPTED UNDER COMPELLING REASONS. EVEN THOUGH MORE COMMON LAW IS BEING TURNED INTO STATUTORY LAW, THE DOCTRINE...
Words: 2146 - Pages: 9
...Business Law 7/13/2014 Week 1 Professor McGovern Common Law is The ancient law of England based upon societal customs and recognized and enforced by the judgments and decrees of the courts. The general body of statutes and case law that governed England and the American colonies prior to the American Revolution. The principles and rules of action, embodied in case law rather than legislative enactments, applicable to the government and protection of persons and property that derive their authority from the community customs and traditions that evolved over the centuries as interpreted by judicial tribunals. Common-law courts base their decisions on prior judicial pronouncements rather than on legislative enactments. Where a statute governs the dispute, judicial interpretation of that statute determines how the law applies. Common-law judges rely on their predecessors' decisions of actual controversies, rather than on abstract codes or texts, to guide them in applying the law. Common-law judges find the grounds for their decisions in law reports, which contain decisions of past controversies. Under the doctrine of Stare Decisis, common-law judges are obliged to adhere to previously decided cases, or precedents, where the facts are substantially the same. A court's decision is binding authority for similar cases decided by the same court or by lower courts within the same jurisdiction. The decision is not binding on courts of higher rank within that jurisdiction or in...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...influence and value of past decisions of case law and prior legal experience. The doctrine of precedent means that judges refer back to previous decisions to help them decide similar cases where the law and facts are alike. A fundamental principle upon which the doctrine of judicial precedent rests, is that a hierarchy of courts is needed if it is to operate. The concept of stare decisis, meaning to stand by what has been decided, forms the basis of the doctrine of judicial precedent. The notion is that like cases should be treated alike for the sake of certainty and consistency which, it is argued, leads to fairness. The effect of this is that, ordinarily, the legal reasoning on a point of law made in an earlier case must be followed. If all courts, regardless of their status or seniority, were able to set precedent, the doctrine of judicial precedent would be a nonsense as it would be practically impossible to determine which precedent took precedence! The doctrine of judicial precedent has overcome this by the requirement that all courts are strictly bound to follow decisions made by the courts above them in the hierarchy. In addition appellate courts are normally bound by their own past decisions. However, there are advantages and disadvantages. Any discussion of the advantages is likely to include the point that the doctrine provides certainty in the law. This means the legal profession can give more helpful advice regarding the law to their clients, including advice...
Words: 2748 - Pages: 11
...Common Law, Statutory Law and Administrative Law Common Law Judge-Made Law: Sum total of all cases decided by appellate courts. 200 yrs ago almost all laws were common laws. Today most laws are statutory. Disadvantages: Each state has a body of law different from other states (problems for businesses) Stare Decisis Stare Decisis is the essence of common law. It means “Let the decision stand”. Law by precedent (by state). So there should be a precedent in that. Disadvantages: This is not easy. How to balance between predictability and flexibility? Because common law is trying to accommodate both above goals. The more flexibility, the less predictability. Bystander cases Bystander cases - where common law says no duty to assist someone in peril unless you created the danger. But common law changes slightly over time. For example bystander law changed in cases where bystander is an employer or a doctor or even a public place where one can make phone calls. Statutory Law Most new law is statutory law. It affects each of us in business, professional and personal lives. This is more a people-made law or a law made as a result of people electing local legislators who pass state statutes; people vote for senators and representatives who create federal statutes. Example: Criminal Law. Bills Bill is a proposed statute (proposed either by House of Representatives or the Senate). A bill must be voted on passed by both houses. Once both houses pass the bill they send it to the...
Words: 615 - Pages: 3
...OF THE LAW TO THE FACTS • TENTATIVE CONCLUSION WHAT TO DO: 1) Identify KEY FACTS of the problem Unlike judges, when you answer a problem or case study you do not need to summarise the facts of a problem. What you should do is identify the key facts. 2) Identify RELEVANT ISSUE of the problem From the key facts, you should then be able to identify the relevant issues in the problem you are considering. 3) Identify KEY LEGAL PRINCIPLES Once you have worked out the issues, ask: (a) does a statutory provision apply to this situation and, if so, does it provide a specific answer to the problem? AND (b) are there any cases which have dealt with a similar fact situation/legal issue to the one you are considering? You should provide the name/section of any relevant legislation and the names of any relevant cases in your answer. Note similarities to (follow) or differences from (distinguish) prior cases When reading a problem it is a good idea to jot down the names of cases that you have studied, where the facts/legal issues were similar, if not identical to the ones in the problem you are considering. Often the facts of a problem may be similar to but a little different to those in a decided case. Think about whether any factual differences matter. Whether or not any differences matter will depend on the scope of the legal principle that the relevant case stands for. It is important to note any factual differences from previous cases and to state...
Words: 707 - Pages: 3
