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The Constitutional Role of the Privy Council and the Prerogative 3
Foreword The Privy Council is shrouded in mystery. As Patrick O’Connor points out, even its statutory definition is circular: the Privy Council is defined by the Interpretation Act 1978 as the members of ‘Her Majesty’s Honourable Privy Council’. Many people may have heard of its judicial committee, but its other roles emerge from the constitutional fog only occasionally – at their most controversial, to dispossess the Chagos Islanders of their home, more routinely to grant a charter to a university. Tracing its origin back to the twelfth or thirteen century, its continued existence, if considered at all, is regarded as vaguely charming and largely formal. But, as the vehicle that dispossessed those living on or near Diego Garcia, the Privy Council can still display the power that once it had more widely as an instrument of feudal rule. Many of its Orders in Council bypass Parliament but have the same force as democratically passed legislation. They are passed, unlike such legislation, without any express statement of compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. What is more, Orders in Council are not even published simultaneously with their passage. Two important orders relating to the treatment of the Chagos Islanders were made public only five days after they were passed. Patrick, originally inspired by his discovery of the essay that the great nineteenth century jurist Albert Venn Dicey wrote for his All Souls Fellowship, provides a fascinating account of the history and continuing role of the Privy Council. He concludes by arguing that its role, and indeed continued existence, should be subject to fundamental review. -
Magna Carta and the Development of the Common Law
Magna Carta and the Development of the Common Law Professor Paul Brand, FBA Emeritus Fellow All Souls College, Oxford Paper related to a presentation given for the High Court Public Lecture series, at the High Court of Australia, Canberra, Courtroom 1, 13 May 2015 Magna Carta and the Development of the Common Law I We are about to commemorate the eight hundredth anniversary of the granting by King John on 15 June 1215 of a ‘charter of liberties’ in favour of all the free men of his kingdom [of England] and their heirs. That charter was not initially called Magna Carta (or ‘the Great Charter’, in English). It only acquired that name after it had been revised and reissued twice and after the second reissue had been accompanied by the issuing of a separate, but related, Charter of the Forest. The revised version of 1217 was called ‘The Great Charter’ simply to distinguish it from the shorter, and therefore smaller, Forest Charter, but the name stuck. To call it a ‘charter of liberties’ granted by king John to ‘all the free men of his kingdom’ of England is, however, in certain respects misleading. The term ‘liberty’ or ‘liberties’, particularly in the context of a royal grant, did not in 1215 bear the modern meaning of a recognised human right or human rights. ‘Liberty’ in the singular could mean something closer to that, in the general sense of the ‘freedom’ or the ‘free status’ of a free man, as opposed to the ‘unfreedom’ of a villein. ‘Liberties’, though, were something different (otherwise known as ‘franchises’), generally specific privileges granted by the king, particular rights such as the right to hold a fair or a market or a particular kind of private court, the right to have a park or a rabbit warren which excluded others from hunting or an exemption such as freedom from tolls at markets or fairs. -
What the Crown May Do
WHAT THE CROWN MAY DO 1. It is now established, at least at the level of the Court of Appeal (so that Court has recently stated)1, that, absent some prohibition, a Government minister may do anything which any individual may do. The purpose of this paper is to explain why this rule is misconceived and why it, and the conception of the “prerogative” which it necessarily assumes, should be rejected as a matter of constitutional law. 2. The suggested rule raises two substantive issues of constitutional law: (i) who ought to decide in what new activities the executive may engage, in what circumstances and under what conditions; and (ii) what is the scope for abuse that such a rule may create and should it be left without legal control. 3. As Sir William Wade once pointed out (in a passage subsequently approved by the Appellate Committee2), “The powers of public authorities are...essentially different from those of private persons. A man making his will may, subject to any rights of his dependants, dispose of his property just as he may wish. He may act out of malice or a spirit of revenge, but in law this does not affect his exercise of power. In the same way a private person has an absolute power to release a debtor, or, where the law permits, to evict a tenant, regardless of his motives. This is unfettered discretion.” If a minister may do anything that an individual may do, he may pursue any purpose which an individual may do when engaged in such activities. -
THE LEGACY of the MAGNA CARTA MAGNA CARTA 1215 the Magna Carta Controlled the Power Government Ruled with the Consent of Eventually Spreading Around the Globe
THE LEGACY OF THE MAGNA CARTA MAGNA CARTA 1215 The Magna Carta controlled the power government ruled with the consent of eventually spreading around the globe. of the King for the first time in English the people. The Magna Carta was only Reissues of the Magna Carta reminded history. It began the tradition of respect valid for three months before it was people of the rights and freedoms it gave for the law, limits on government annulled, but the tradition it began them. Its inclusion in the statute books power, and a social contract where the has lived on in English law and society, meant every British lawyer studied it. PETITION OF RIGHT 1628 Sir Edward Coke drafted a document King Charles I was not persuaded by By creating the Petition of Right which harked back to the Magna Carta the Petition and continued to abuse Parliament worked together to and aimed to prevent royal interference his power. This led to a civil war, and challenge the King. The English Bill with individual rights and freedoms. the King ultimately lost power, and his of Rights and the Constitution of the Though passed by the Parliament, head! United States were influenced by it. HABEAS CORPUS ACT 1679 The writ of Habeas Corpus gives imprisonment. In 1697 the House of Habeas Corpus is a writ that exists in a person who is imprisoned the Lords passed the Habeas Corpus Act. It many countries with common law opportunity to go before a court now applies to everyone everywhere in legal systems. and challenge the lawfulness of their the United Kingdom. -
Ubi Jus, Ibi Remedium: the Fundamental Right to a Remedy, 41 San Diego Law Review 1633 (2004)
The University of Akron IdeaExchange@UAkron Akron Law Publications The chooS l of Law January 2004 Ubi Jus, Ibi Remedium: The undF amental Right to a Remedy Tracy A. Thomas 1877, [email protected] Please take a moment to share how this work helps you through this survey. Your feedback will be important as we plan further development of our repository. Follow this and additional works at: http://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/ua_law_publications Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Tracy A. Thomas, Ubi Jus, Ibi Remedium: The Fundamental Right to a Remedy, 41 San Diego Law Review 1633 (2004). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The chooS l of Law at IdeaExchange@UAkron, the institutional repository of The nivU ersity of Akron in Akron, Ohio, USA. It has been accepted for inclusion in Akron Law Publications by an authorized administrator of IdeaExchange@UAkron. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Forthcoming, Symposium: Remedies Discussion Forum, 41 U.S.D. ___ (2004) Ubi Jus, Ibi Remedium: The Fundamental Right to a Remedy Under Due Process Tracy A. Thomas* One of the legacies of Brown v. Board of Education is its endorsement of affirmative remedial action to enforce constitutional rights.1 In Brown I and Brown II, the United States Supreme Court rejected mere declaratory or prohibitory relief in favor of a mandatory injunction that would compel the constitutionally-required change.2 Disputes over the parameters of this active remedial power and compliance with the ordered remedies have dominated the ensuing decades of post-Brown school desegregation cases.3 These enforcement disputes have overshadowed the importance of Brown’s establishment of a remedial norm embracing affirmative judicial action to provide meaningful relief. -
The Magna Carta of the Defendant According to the New Bill of Rights in Israel - a Comparative Study, 8 Pace Int'l L
Pace International Law Review Volume 8 Article 2 Issue 1 Winter 1996 January 1996 The aM gna Carta of the Defendant According to the New Bill of Rights in Israel - A Comparative Study Emanuel Gross Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr Recommended Citation Emanuel Gross, The Magna Carta of the Defendant According to the New Bill of Rights in Israel - A Comparative Study, 8 Pace Int'l L. Rev. 91 (1996) Available at: http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr/vol8/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Law at DigitalCommons@Pace. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pace International Law Review by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Pace. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE MAGNA CARTA OF THE DEFENDANT ACCORDING TO THE NEW BILL OF RIGHTS IN ISRAEL - A COMPARATIVE STUDY Emanuel Grosst A. INTRODUCTION. The enactment of the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Lib- erty' has been defined as a "constitutional revolution."2 The primary purpose of this article is to discuss the Basic Law's im- pact on criminal law and on defendants' rights, as well as ad- dress many questions that arise about the Basic Law's scope and its implications on various legal fields. Furthermore, this article will expose the problematic reality created when the new Basic Law interacts with the existing legislation and case law. Through a comparison to the Canadian legal system, it will point to possible new and progressive directions in the develop- ment of the Israeli legal system. -
Protecting Economic Liberties
Protecting Economic Liberties Bernard H. Siegan* I. INTRODUCTION This Article details the evolution of the treatment of economic liberties, beginning with the Magna Cartas of 1215 and 1225. The Magna Cartas were the original source of protection from govern- mental intrusion upon economic liberties. The Article considers Sir Edward Coke and William Blackstone's interpretations of the Magna Carta both in their writings and in common law cases. Next, the Article traces the influence of Coke and Blackstone's writings, and of the English common law on American jurispru- dence, including a discussion of how these influences affected the United States Constitution. The Article subsequently examines numerous United States Supreme Court cases, mapping the major shifts in the Supreme Court's protections-or lack thereof-of eco- nomic liberties. In conclusion, the Article considers the impact of the judicial termination for protections of economic rights. II. THE MAGNA CARTAS OF 1215 AND 1225 t To quell the barons' revolt against him, John, King of En- gland and Ireland, in 1215 accepted the Magna Carta, a document which the barons largely wrote and which was the first govern- mental document in the English-speaking countries to protect eco- nomic and other liberties.1 John's own oppressive and arbitrary * Distinguished Professor of Law, University of San Diego. This article contains and expands views that Professor Siegan has expressed in books and articles he has written as follows: ECONOMIC LIBERTIES AND THE CONSTITUTION (1980), PROPERTY RIGHTS: FROM MAGNA CARTA TO THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT (Social Philosophy & Policy Foundation & Transaction Publishers, 2001), Separationof Powers & Economic Liberties, 70 NOTRE DAME L. -
Queen's Or Prince's Consent
QUEEN’S OR PRINCE’S CONSENT This pamphlet is intended for members of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. Unless otherwise stated: • references to Erskine May are to the 24th edition (2011), • references to the Companion to the Standing Orders are to the Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to Proceedings of the House of Lords (25th edition, 2017), • references to the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation are to the version of July 2017. Office of the Parliamentary Counsel September 2018 CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 QUEEN’S CONSENT Introduction. 2 The prerogative. 2 Hereditary revenues, the Duchies and personal property and interests . 4 Exceptions and examples . 6 CHAPTER 3 PRINCE’S CONSENT Introduction. 7 The Duchy of Cornwall . 7 The Prince and Steward of Scotland . 8 Prince’s consent in other circumstances . 8 Exceptions and examples . 8 CHAPTER 4 GENERAL EXCEPTIONS The remoteness/de minimis tests . 10 Original consent sufficient for later provisions . 10 No adverse effect on the Crown. 11 CHAPTER 5 THE SIGNIFICATION OF CONSENT Signification following amendments to a bill. 13 Re-signification for identical bill . 14 The manner of signification . 14 The form of signification . 15 CHAPTER 6 PRACTICAL STEPS Obtaining consent. 17 Informing the Whips . 17 Writing to the House authorities . 17 Private Members’ Bills. 17 Informing the Palace of further developments . 18 Other. 18 CHAPTER 7 MISCELLANEOUS Draft bills . 19 Consent not obtained . 19 Inadvertent failure to signify consent . 19 Consent in the absence of the Queen. 20 Consent before introduction of a bill . 20 Queen’s speech . 20 Royal Assent . -
The Continuity of English Equity
THE CONTINUITY OF ENGLISH EQUITY Two recent articles which attempt to point out the bearing of various facts of detail, recently stated by different investigators, upon the continuous history of English equity leave something still to be desired. These articles are, in the order of date, my own, entitled The Origin of English Equity,' and Dr. W. S. Holdsworth's, entitled The Relation of the Equity Administered by the Common-Law Judges to the Equity Administered by the Chancellor.2 In my article the attempt was made to show that the facts earlier and more recently brought to light prove that both the later systems, equity and common law, had their origin in the twelfth century in the same set of facts; that they were then identical, undistinguished and indistinguishable; and that the differentiation between the two systems took place in the course of the thirteenth century by the hardening of common-law forms and the separation of the common-law courts from the common line of growth, while the more free and unrestricted develop- ment which gave rise to equity was continued by the Council. Of their relation to one another in the twelfth century, I said, having regard to the character of the principles in which both originated, that "if we wish to assign to either a precedence in time we must say not that equity originated in common law but that common law originated in equity."3 And of the final devel- opment of equity, I said "that as the organ of the king's preroga- tive, the Council was the natural organ for the exercise of his equitable powers in interference in the field of common law and it is therefore under the Council that the modern system of equity developed." Dr. -
Magna Carta and the Law of Nature
University of Chicago Law School Chicago Unbound Journal Articles Faculty Scholarship 2016 Magna Carta and the Law of Nature Richard H. Helmholz Follow this and additional works at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/journal_articles Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Richard. H. Helmholz, "Magna Carta and the Law of Nature," 62 Loyola Law Review 869 (2016). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at Chicago Unbound. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal Articles by an authorized administrator of Chicago Unbound. For more information, please contact [email protected]. +(,121/,1( Citation: 62 Loy. L. Rev. 869 2016 Provided by: The University of Chicago D'Angelo Law Library Content downloaded/printed from HeinOnline Sat Apr 8 00:43:53 2017 -- Your use of this HeinOnline PDF indicates your acceptance of HeinOnline's Terms and Conditions of the license agreement available at http://heinonline.org/HOL/License -- The search text of this PDF is generated from uncorrected OCR text. -- To obtain permission to use this article beyond the scope of your HeinOnline license, please use: Copyright Information BRENDAN BROWN LECTURE MAGNA CARTA AND THE LAW OF NATURE R. H. Helmholz* INTRODUCTION' My subject is an appropriate one for a lecture series established by Brendan F. Brown. From first to last, he was "an advocate and defender of the natural law and its school of jurisprudence." 2 He sparked an interest in the subject among his students, he wrote books and articles to demonstrate its value, 3 and he compiled an historical survey of the subject that remains useful today.4 Coming to his scholarly maturity in the years immediately following the Second World War, Professor Brown was optimistic about the future of this subject. -
Magna Carta Preparation Materials for Virtual Classroom (KS 3)
The National Archives Education Service Magna Carta Preparation materials for virtual classroom (KS 3) DL 10/71 Magna Carta Preparation materials for virtual classroom (KS 3) Contents Teacher’s notes 3 Document 1: DL 10/71 4 Magna Carta, 1225 Transcript 1: DL 10/71 5 Magna Carta, 1225 Document 2: C 66/81 6 Written public announcement of the peace terms accepted by King Henry III and the community of the realm, 1264 Transcript 2: C 66/81 7 Written public announcement of the peace terms accepted by King Henry III and the community of the realm, 1264 Document 3: C 53/86 8 Charter confirming the rights set out in Magna Carta, 1300 Transcript 3: C 53/86 9 Charter confirming the rights set out in Magna Carta, 1300 Document 4: C 65/62 10 Charges against King Richard for which he was deposed, 1399 Transcript 4: C 65/62 12 Charges against King Richard for which he was deposed, 1399 Historian’s notes 13 Dr. Matt Phillips provides further background information on Magna Carta 2 Magna Carta Preparation materials for virtual classroom (KS 3) Teacher’s notes Students do not need to do any work in preparation for this virtual classroom. Please do not show students copies of the following documents before the session. However, if there are students who have visual impairments and may have difficulty viewing the screen during the session, please enlarge copies of the documents for them to refer to. This session introduces students to The National Archives and to the history of Magna Carta. -
Magna Carta for the World? the Merchants' Chapter and Foreign Capital in the Early American Republic, 94 N.C
NORTH CAROLINA LAW REVIEW Volume 94 | Number 5 Article 9 6-1-2016 Magna Carta for the World? The eM rchants' Chapter and Foreign Capital in the Early American Republic Daniel Hulsebosch Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Daniel Hulsebosch, Magna Carta for the World? The Merchants' Chapter and Foreign Capital in the Early American Republic, 94 N.C. L. Rev. 1599 (2016). Available at: http://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr/vol94/iss5/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Carolina Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in North Carolina Law Review by an authorized administrator of Carolina Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 94 N.C. L. REV. 1599 (2016) MAGNA CARTA FOR THE WORLD? THE MERCHANTS’ CHAPTER AND FOREIGN CAPITAL IN THE EARLY AMERICAN REPUBLIC* DANIEL HULSEBOSCH** All merchants may safely and securely go out of England, and come into England, and delay and pass through England, as well by land as by water, for the purpose of buying and selling, free from all evil taxes, subject to the ancient and right customs—save in time of war, and if they are of the land at war against us. And if such be found in our land at the beginning of the war, they shall be held, without harm to their bodies and goods, until it shall be known to us or our chief justice how the merchants of our land are to be treated who shall, at that time, be found in the land at war against us.