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Summary: Introduction to law!
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A summary of all the material from the classes. Side note: this was during covid.
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Introduction to lawLecture 01 – Introduction - law and society:
Rule or law?
Rule: General norm mandating or guiding conduct or action in a given type
of situation. Rules guide us, normative. Tell is what ought to happen with a
factual statement or what does happen.
Law: A system of binding (and enforceable) rules of an official nature
(created by a competent authority). It has a dynamic character, may change
over time.
National legislator determines (mainly) what should be binding legal
plurality.
Why do we need law?
- To maintain order and “peaceful relationships” Regulation of
violence (state monopoly on violence)
- Fulfill the “need: of penance and relation Regulation of sanctions
and punishment (e.g. imprisonment or a fine)
- Avoid: self-administered justice He (unlawful) retaliation for an
injustice that the affected person carries out himself.
- Managing various governmental benefits For instance, health care
system, welfare policies
- Give effect to certain private arrangements between members of a
society. For instance, a contract.
Functions and purposes of law (can be interrelated)
Regulating: shapes predictability and stimulates the possibility to anticipate
and take rational decision. For instance, classification minors and adults,
taxation, and inheritance law.
Normative: this is how we believe society ought to be. The expression of
values and norms in a given society. For instance, the ban on discrimination;
human rights standards.
The instrumental: Law as policy instrument to promote certain defined
activities.
,Dispute resolution: The law can help settle disputed and resolute them.
Between private individuals. For instance, by a court decision. It also
prevents existence that could happen.
The macro and micro functions of law
Law and public order:
- Creating regulatory frameworks
- Giving authority to the agent of the state to take actions against
citizens
Law and political order
- Preventing abuse of power by officials
- Prescribing procedures for the rule law
Law and social order
- The regulation of human relationships
- The resolution of social problems
Law and economic order
- Defining processes for the transaction of business and other activities
Law and moral order
- Defining the limits of acceptable behavior
- Defining the consequences of certain types of behavior
- The educative or ideological function
Law and international order.
- All on an international and regional level
The relevance to study (international) law
- Most states incorporated the rule of law.
Accountability of all under the law. the process by which the law is enacted,
administered, and enforced, accessible, fair, and efficient. Law is clear,
published and stable.
- Part of the checks and balances is the dispute settlements.
- Law is a policy instrument
State intervention or laissez-faire?
The state determines the position of law making in that society.
,This all depends on the state is their freedom, equality of parties or state
intervention.
- Are there protective rights, and welfare? Is there nationalization or
privatization.
-
Political debate determines the role and function of law in society and the
commitment to law enforcement.
Law and morality
Social moral code
Code morality: Set of beliefs, values, principles and standards of behavior,
and such codes are found in all social groups. if they involve any sanction
at all, rest on more diffuse and generalized informal sanction “social
disapproval”.
Binding moral code:
A binding moral code serves to hold a society together invisible bonds of
common thoughts (without it a society will disintegrate). Legal rules are
backed by official state sanctions and procedures.
Link morality and law
Liability: looks at blame or fault. The blameworthiness. Was it a force
majeure, honest mistake, accidentally, or cannot be said to have been
responsible for his or her actions? Circumstances precluding wrongfulness.
Judgements: Good or bad or is right or wrong. So guilty or not guilty. A
punishment.
Equality of human beings. Religious beliefs often interwoven in the moral
and legal codes.
The western perspective. Think about shame cultures. Dualist thinking,
hierarchic societies.
There are boundaries of the law. Think about the territory (jurisdiction). State
sovereignty. Competence/authority of law-making and law-enforcement.
Political values.
Legal traditions in the world: A legal tradition is deeply rooted historically
conditioned attitudes about the nature of law, role of law in society and the
polity, about the proper organization and operation of legal system and
about the way law should be made and applied.
, Lecture 02 – Legal traditions
Civil law tradition:
Where: Continental Europe, Latin America, middle east.
What: Roman civil law, Canon law, Commercial law.
It based on jus commune, most captured in code napoleon and reflected in
most national codes in states with the civil law tradition.
It is known for the different areas of the law. It has multiple books. Roman
civil law, canon law and commercial law. this was all regulated because
there was a need to do this.
History: Composite of several distinct elements of sub traditions with
separate origins and developments in in different period history.
Roman civil law Between men/inter human
- Codified under Justinian.
- Law of persons, family, inheritance, property, torts, unjust enrichment,
contracts and remedies.
- 6th century A.D Roman Civil Law.
Canon law (Roman Catholic Church)
- Developed by the church for its own governance and the regulate
rights and obligations of its communicants.
- Universal law of the spiritual domain directly associated with the
authority of the church.
Commercial Law
- Established rules for the conduct of commercial affairs
Customary law
- Local practices and local variations
Nature:
Nothing outside the state could make law effective on or within the state
without the state’s consent. Separation of power, lawmaking powers. Unity of
centralized state, sometimes the intent to replace or abolish previous law.
Desire for a legal system that was simple, nontechnical, and straight forward.
- Ordinary citizens could read the law and understand what their rights
and obligations were, without having to consult lawyers and go to court
and justice available to all.
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