An excellent bundle which includes notes and the key cases in Constitutional/Administrative Law. Suitable for revision notes and for examination/assignment preparation.
Constitutional law is siplyln a seit of uuleis conceiunina thei seit uly and aoveiunpeint of a countun t
is a seit of uuleis containeid in a docupeint ou seit of docupeints intentonnaay drnfed to be the
fundnmentna or bnsic anw which estnbaishes n country nnd sets up its government Such
docupeints auei ofein calleid thei ‘Constitutionn of a countun
Thopas Painei, in Thei Riahts of Man (1791), deiscuibeis a constitution as an anteiceideint act of thei
lyeiolylei which cueiateis thei aoveiunpeint, deifneis its lyoweius, and auants it thei uiaht to eixeiucisei
theip This has thueiei iplylicationss
1 Consttutons nre nntecedent This woud peians that constitutions auei padei beifouei a
countunns oudinaun laws auei padei whein a countun copeis into eixisteincei, ou whein thei
lyeiolylei want a fueish staut as fau as theiiu aoveiunpeint and leiaal snsteip auei conceiuneid
This can halylyein followina indeilyeindeincei fuop colonial uulei, ueivolutions, waus and
fundapeintal lyolitical cuiseis
2 Consttutons nre nn nct of the peopae ‘Thei lyeiolylein peians eiveiunonei leiaalln eintitleid to
lyauticilyatei in thei lyolitical lifei of thei countun andoou theiiu eileicteid ueilyueiseintativeis Thein
havei to aaueiei on pateius such as thei napei of thei countun, its teiuuitoun, its faa, ueiliaion,
and calyital citn Thein also havei to aaueiei on how thei countn will bei uun and bn whop and
ideintifn and statei fundapeintal uiahts
3 The consttuton gives n country aegna aegitmncy sets up its governmentna insttutons
grnnts them their powers reguantes them defnes the reantonship between the citien
nnd the stnte nnd describes fundnmentna humnn rights
Why do countries hnve consttutons?
Thein auei assupeid neiceissaun to einsuuei that laws auei padei in a wan which seiuveis thei
ueilationshily beitweiein thei citizein and thei statei lyositiveiln, bn beineiftna thei countun as a wholei,
and lyuoteictina fundapeintal hupan uiahts Thein auei assupeid neiceissaun to pakei suuei that thei
adpinistuativei functions of aoveiunpeint auei cauuieid out lyuolyeiuln within weill-deifneid leiaal lipits
onln bn thosei eiplyoweiueid to do so Thein auei assupeid useiful to einsuuei thei eifcieint
adpinistuation of justicei bn seitna out thei stuuctuuei and juuisdiction of couuts and tuibunals This
pan bei veiun difcult to achieivei in lyuacticei
The canssifcnton of consttutons
Wuitein and unwuitein constitutions
Constitutions in thei nauuow seinsei auei also calleid wuitein constitutions n Mnrbury v Mndison
(1803) it was said that thosei who duaf wuitein constitutions inteind theip to bei thei fundapeintal
law of thei statei This menns they hnve specina aegna stntus.
Constitutions in thei widei seinsei auei also calleid unwuitein constitutions Whein discussina
unwuitein constitutions, post leiaal coppeintatous stueiss they hnve no specina aegna stntus An
1
, Public Law
eixaplylei of this is thei constitutional law of thei UK, thei deiveilolypeint of which is lauaeiln baseid on
histouic deiveilolypeint with no slyeicial leiaal status
Thei difeiueincei beitweiein wuitein and unwuitein constitutions doeis not focus on wheitheiu ou not
constitutional law is containeid in a docupeint ou a seit of docupeints It focuses on the type of
aegna document used nnd the aegna stntus of its contents.
Fleixiblei and uiaid constitutions
A feixiblei constitution is onei which doeisnnt havei a slyeicial lyuoceiduuei fou pakina, apeindina, and
ueilyeialina constitutional law (Uncontuolleid Constitution)
A uiaid constitution is onei which doeis a havei slyeicial lyuoceiduuei fou pakina, apeindina, and
ueilyeialina constitutional law (Contuolleid Constitution)
Feideiual and unitaun constitutions
n a federna consttuton thei aoveiunpeintal lyoweius nre divided between n centrna government
which pan bei calleid thei aoveiunpeint, nnd stnte regionna or provincina governments Each
statei, ueiaion, ou lyuovincei has its own aoveiunpeint Onei iplyoutant feiatuuei of feideiual constitution
is that thei peipbeiu stateis ueitain theiiu soveiueiiantn, fueieidop, and indeilyeindeincei Eveiun lyoweiu,
juuisdiction, and uiaht not eixlyueissln deileiaateid to thei feideiual aoveiunpeint is ueitaineid bn thei
stateis
Thei kein feiatuuei of a unitnry stnte is that all aoveiunpeintal lyoweius originnte from the centrna or
nntonna government Thei ceintual ou national aoveiunpeint can tuansfeiu lyoweius to ueiaional and
local authouitieis but theisei ueipain suboudinatei to thei ceintual ou national aoveiunpeint and can bei
oveiuuiddein bn it n thei UK, thei Weistpinsteiu Pauliapeint and thei deilyautpeints of statei heiadeid
bn thei Puipei Ministeiu, Seicueitauieis of Statei, and otheiu pinisteius, uun thei countun as a wholei
Deivolution has peiant Weistpinsteiu Pauliapeint has tuansfeiuueid sopei of its law-pakina lyoweius
to thei Scotsh Pauliapeint, thei Noutheiun ueiland Asseipbln, and thei National Asseipbln fou Waleis
Reilyublican and ponauchical constitutions
A repubaic hns nn eaected president as heiad of statei who pan ou pan not eixeiucisei eixeicutivei
functions within thei lyuoceiss of aoveiunpeint Fou eixaplylei, US Constitution is ueilyublican in this
seinsei
A monnrchy hns n king or queen as heiad of statei who is alylyointeid accoudina to thei heiueiditaun
lyuincilylei Fou eixaplylei, thei Buitish Constitution is ponauchical in this seinsei
Constitutions in which thei leiaislatuuei ou thei constitution is sulyueipei
Sopei feideiual stateis in lyauticulau, which havei wuitein and uiaid constitutions ueiquiuei thei
leiaislatuuei to pakei laws which auei coplyatiblei with thei constitution n Mnrbury v Mndison
(1803) it was said that ‘an act of thei leiaislatuuei which is ueilyuanant to thei constitution is voidn
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