In hard cases, judges are not legislating, as Hart’s positivists assert, they are inducing based on principle. Judges have a duty not only to apply the rules, but also to make sure that the legal system is consistent with the principles of the society. When judges are said to legislate, they are not making the rules but discovering them. [20]
According to Dworkin understanding the role of the courts is to defend the rights of citizens from the likelihood of unfair rules or other circumstances in which the written laws do not satisfactorily defend their natural rights. [21] Since judges have a duty to defend rights, they must step in and make rulings to defend such rights. [22] The character of judicial cognitive is not one of discretion, then, but of a duty to search a judgement based on principle that shields civil
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Yet it is also misleading to say that judicial duty prevents discretion. Judges can use discretion; they use discretion in a so-called weaker sense
As a theory of adjudication in the English and American contexts, the Dworkin's theory is, at least, challenging, provocative. Thus Dworkin alternative theory of adjudication is persuasive.
Bibliography
1. Concerning the Hart and Dworkin Debate Constitutional Law Essay.http://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/concerning-the-hart-and-dworkin-debate-constitutional-law-essay.php?cref=1 last accessed on 01 April 2016
2. Peter Hardy. An Evaluation of the Positions of Hart and Dworkin on the Role of Judges Faced with Hard Cases, last accessed on https://vibrantbliss.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/hard-cases-for-judges/
3. Sara Smollett. Dworkin and Judicial Discretion, Philosophy of law, last accessed from http://www.yellowpigs.net/philosophy/dworkin on 02 April 2016
4. Dworkin, Ronald, (1977), Taking Rights Seriously, London,
The most contentious debate, however, concerns the legal principle of stare decisis. A Latin phrase, stare decisis means that judges should respect legal precedents by letting them stand instead of overturning them. It is important to note, however, that stare decisis is not found in the Constitution or the Bill or Rights; it is not the law of the land, but a “rule of thumb.” As Constitutional lawyer Robert McFarland points out, a number of Democratic congressmen have taken a sudden interest in this legal principle.
A system of law in America that we believe to find justice every time does it exists? Well many times we have seen suspects get away with a crime and the victims know what happened and justice wasn’t achieved. The court, in the case of Sibyl Danforth coming to court for manslaughter came to the proper conclusion and found justice in the trial of Sibyl Danforth vs. the State of Vermont. In some court room’s justice isn’t always found.
In her response lecture, Professor West identifies two very significant inconsistencies in Dr. Scott's lecture on the Judiciary. Professor West says, "You can tell a lot about a teacher by what they lecture. You can also tell a lot about a teacher by what they don't lecture or what they leave out"(West, 2:27). This idea is very apparent when it comes to Dr. Scott's lecture. Not only does Dr. Scott leave out some very vital information in his lectures, but he provides misinformation and makes contradictory points in his lecture.
In the Election of 1800, Democratic-Republican Party founders Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr won against the candidates of the Federalist party John Adams and Charles C. Pinckney. This event marked the first time that one party had replaced by another. Thomas Jefferson had a different style with political ideas, he wanted to reduce the power of government that rights should belong to the people and mostly the government, also to promote an agrarian economy where plantations are focused. Despite of the influence of Anti federalists power under Congress, John Adams attempt to separate the Supreme and Circuit courts and to appoint Federalist supporters into the newly created court positions in the last 19 days of his presidency. By the time
Her former owners contested this, as since no formal agreement of her freedom was made she was never free. However since libertad can be seen within this case the law’s power is not concrete instead the tribunal looks into the circumstances. This is what Owensby means, that, power is not simply projected from above instead it an interconnected web of social interactions and norms. The
The model jurist renders decisions without regard to personal values, beliefs or experiences. For many, the most important test of judicial nominees from Robert Bork to John Arnick is whether, given prior statements and acts, the nominee can be ' 'impartial. ' ' The assumption is that only impartial judges can be fair.
In a modern sense, proper use of Judicial Independence is important because as it says in, "May it Please The Court," on page 74, law is everywhere in modern America. Thus, Americans use law and courts to resolve disputes that are large and small, public and private. Therefore, you can see how Judicial Independence and legal professions in general are important and critical because it can shape and inform relations between individuals and institutions in this country today, as it has for more than 200 years. Therefore when considering Judicial Independence we must understand the critical aspect and importance it represents with regards to adhering to constitutional thought and or
The Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are composed of broad values like equality and liberty, but judges who attempt to give concrete meaning to such general concepts without specific precedent and law from the text or history overstep their proper role. If Robert H. Bork were to review judicial process today, he will assume all judges decide constitutional cases in accordance with “neutral principles.” In his article “Neutral Principles and Some First Amendment Problems” (1971), Bork insists these principles must be strictly neutral in origin of the text and from such cases that derive from precedent. He continues his argument by stating if the Court strikes down legislation on any other basis, it abuses its power and invades
Written Assignment I Allison DeHart Question I According to Woodward and Armstrong, stare decisis is “the principle that precedent governs, that the Court is a continuing body making law that does not change abruptly merely because justices are replaced” (4). Stare decisis is also the principle that judges should strive to not overturn precedent and to cite it positively, an idea which is explored in the Hansford and Spriggs (2006) article. In their study, Hansford and Spriggs define positive treatment as a justice using precedent to further their argument (or a justice adhering to stare decisis) and negative treatment as a justice ignoring precedent (JAS 20230202).
Alex Frost Values: Law & Society 9/23/2014 The Hollow Hope Introduction and Chapter 1 Gerald Rosenberg begins his book by posing the questions he will attempt to answer for the reader throughout the rest of the text: Under what conditions do courts produce political and social change? And how effective have the courts been in producing social change under such past decisions as Roe v. Wade and Brown v. Board of Education? He then works to define some of the principles and view points 'currently' held about the US Supreme court system.
This may cause a judge to render a decision based on obligation instead of holding true to their beliefs. This pressure is not easily felt as intensely by appointed judges, especially those with lengthy terms. In considering the equity of the pros and cons it is my opinion that the existing system in place works best. Every system is flawed.
Mathew B. Utan 2010-44419 A First Year Law Student Reads Vitug’s Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court “The mystique shrouds the Court in a forbidding but, at the same time, venerable aura that enhances its power. Justices are sometimes referred to as the “gods of Padre Faura” and the deities of Mt. Olympus” and to reveal themselves would mean losing their protective mantle.” Reading Marites Vitug’s Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court had me saying “I knew it!”
The judicial function is to settle and resolve disputes by firstly unearthing the factual circumstances, interpreting the law followed by applying it and ultimately making a binding and authoritative order. The interpretation of the laws, including the constitution that retrains the parliament and the executive, rests in the judges’ hand. Judicial independence is particularly vital where the judicial institution is concerned, as it is a mechanism that separates the judiciary and the exercise of judicial power in order to safeguard and protect it from the influence and corruption of the other branches of
The law is an intriguing concept, evolving from society’s originalities and moral perspectives. By participating in the legal system, we may endeavour to formulate a link between our own unique beliefs and the world in which we live. Evidently, a just sense of legality is a potent prerequisite for change, enabling society to continue its quest for universal equality and justice. Aristotle once stated that "even when laws have been written down, they ought not to remain unaltered".
According to the radical critique of law, how does law discriminate? Along with many other policies, the law also stresses on the discrimination which