LAW1111 Midterm: LAW1111 (Foundations of Law) Mid-semester Test Reference (Topic 1 - Introduction and Overview)
TOPIC&1:&INTRODUCTION&AND&OVERVIEW&
!
1. What!sources!of!laws!exist!in!Australia?!
!
WHAT%SOURCES%OR%LAWS%EXIST?%
!
• Religious%texts!(e.g.%Old%Testament%–%Deuteronomy)!
!
!
• Morals!
Topic&
Overall&moral&standing&&
Impact&on&Law&
Animal&Cruelty&
Immoral!!
Laws!created!against!
animal!cruelty!
Homosexuality&in&the&past&
Immoral!!
Laws!created!against!
homosexuality!
o Morals!do!not!necessarily!represent!everyone!in!society!and!subsequently!laws!don’t!represent!
everyone!in!society!either!
o As!time!changes,!attitude!changes!and!consequently!morals!change!(e.g.!the!difference!between!
homosexuality!laws!now!and!in!the!past)!
!
However…!
o T
h
e
r
e
!
i
s
!not!necessarily!a!connection!between!morality!and!legality!
!
!
• The%parliament%(e.g.%Commonwealth%Parliament,%State%Parliament%&%Local%council%by-laws%
(i.e.%legislature))!
!
!
• The%courts%(e.g.%Judge%Made%Laws%(Common%Law))!
!
!
• International%law%(e.g.%United%Nation%Convention%on%Rights%of%the%Child)%
%
%
• Human%behaviour%(Laws%created%to%control%human%behaviour)%(e.g.%the%illegality%of%hang%
gliding%drunk,%ever%though%it%only%affects%the%hang%glider)!
!
2. Who!was!the!law!invented!by?!
!
• The%10%Commandments:%Beginning%of%the%legal%system!
o Moses!the!law!giver!came!down!from!Mt!Sinai!with!the!10!Commandments!
Topic&
Overall&moral&standing&
Impact&on&Law&
Adultery&&
Immoral!!
No!laws!created!against!
adultery!
Not&wearing&a&bicycle&helmet&
Not!immoral!!
Laws!created!against!
not!wearing!a!bicycle!
helmet!
o The!assumption!of!religion!as!the!source!of!law!is!not!necessarily!true,!even!though!we!expect!
them!both!to!be!moral!and!fair!(e.g.!only!“thou!shalt!not!steal”!and!“thou!shalt!not!murder”!are!
relevant!to!today’s!society)!
• Corpus%Juris%Civilis%(Justinian%Code):%First%attempt%to%bring%all%laws%together%in%one%code!
o Principles!of!law!that!were!collected!and!organised!by!Emperor!Justinian!
o Influenced!by!Greek!principles!of!law!and!the!early!Christian!understanding!of!Law!%
o Spread!with!the!conquest!of!the!Roman!Empire!
!
!
• Dark%Ages:%Only%fragmented%laws%and%local%customs%formed%the%basis%of%the%legal%system!
o The!Roman!empire!disintegrates!and!in!the!lands!which!formed!it,!Roman!law!has!ceased!to!
exist!
o Inhabitants!of!Europe!not!living!in!complete!lawlessness!only!had!piecemeal!local!or!customary!
laws!which!exert!a!civilising!influence!on!their!societies%
!
!
• European%Civil%Law%(European%Legal%System)%(11th%Century%AD)%
o The!Justinian!Code,!the!Bible!and!the!writings!of!Greek!philosophers!are!rediscovered!and!their!
principles!become!the!basis!of!European!Civil!Law!(i.e.!the!modern!day!civil!and!common!law!
systems)!
Notable!features!of!European!civil!law:!
Ø The!have!a!strong!theoretical!emphasis!and!attach!considerable!importance!to!the!writing!of!
legal!scholars!
Ø Based!on!codifications!(Code!of!Laws)!(i.e.!intended!to!be!complete,!coherent!and!limited!
the!role!of!judges)!
o Paths!of!common!and!civil!law!diverge!from!here!%
♠ Common!law:!Based!on!the!procedure,!methods!and!the!decisions!of!the!English!courts%
♠ Civil!law:!Based!on!the!principles!of!Roman!law!combined!with!custom,!canon!law,!local!
usages!and!decrees%
%
%
• Total%power%is%vested%in%the%King%(England,%prior%to%the%12th%Century)!
o All!government!functions!were!exercised!by!the!king!in!his!constitutional!capacity!as!the!crown!
o The!country!was!administered!by!the!king!and!his!appointed!advisors!
o Legislative!instruments!were!made!by!the!king!with!the!consent!of!his!chief!advisors!!
o Ultimate!judicial!power!resided!in!the!king!or!in!his!council!
!
!
• Magna%Carta%(1215AD):%%Precursor%to%modern%parliament%and%basis%of%modern%relationship%
between%King%and%Subjects%
o Peace!treaty!King!Join!signed!with!the!barons,!which!forced!him!to!consult!with!the!King’s!
Council!and!gave!the!King’s!Council!the!right!to!wage!war!on!the!King!if!he!failed!to!consult!
them%
Ø Council!members!were!not!elected!and!did!not!make!statutes!or!laws%
Ø Precursor!of!the!privy!council%
o Guaranteed!citizens!important!constitutional!rights!(e.g.!liberty!and!security!in!property)%
Ø Common!Pleas!would!be!heard!in!a!fixed!place%
Ø Only!those!who!had!learned!the!law!could!be!appointed!judges!or!sheriffs!!
Ø Guarantee!that!freemen!would!not!be!imprisoned!or!dispossessed!of!their!property!except!
‘by!lawful!judgment!of!their!peers!or!by!the!law!of!the!land’!
Ø Guarantee!that!justice!will!neither!be!delayed!or!denied!
o A!fundamental!document!to!the!British!Legal!System!and!is!also!a!part!of!Australia’s!Legal!
System%(i.e.!fundamental!part!of!British!and!Australian!Constitutional!Law)%
%
%
• Parliament%(13th%Century)%
o It!was!recognised!that!an!act!of!parliament!could!change!the!Common!Law,!but!could!not!
interfere!with!the!prerogatives!of!the!crown!%
Ø This!changed!in!the!17th!Century%
o In!1414,!it!was!formally!acknowledged!that!no!new!statutes!could!be!made!without!the!assent!of!
the!Commons!%
♠ Statute:!An!instrument!of!parliament!(i.e.!when!Parliament!wants!to!command!something!it!
passes!a!statute)%
ð State!from!the!Latin!statuere:!to!set!up;!to!command%
o Henry!VIII!removed!the!strong!political!authority!of!the!Roman!Catholic!Church!over!the!
parliamentarians!(1507!–!1547)%
♠ Imperial!Parliament:!The!British!Parliament,!legislating!for!the!Empire%
%
• Case%of%Prohibitions%del%Roy%%(1607):%The%Creation%of%the%Modern%Parliament!
o “The!King!in!his!own!person!cannot!adjudge!any!case,!either!criminal!or!betwixt!party!and!
party;!but!it!ought!to!be!determined!and!adjudged!in!some!Court!of!Justice,!according!to!the!law!
and!custom!of!England.!!The!King!may!sit!at!the!King’s!Bench,!but!the!Court!gives!the!judgment.”!
o The!developments!provided!the!government!a!means!of!regulating!human!activity!as!opposed!
to!simply!administering!essential!governmental!functions!
o Led!to!the!creation!of!modern!parliament!
!
!
• Bill%of%Rights%(1689)%%
o The!Crown!had!no!power!to!suspend!the!operation!of!law!(e.g.!taxation!could!be!levied!only!
with!the!consent!of!the!Parliament)%
o Forbade!keeping!a!standing!army!in!England%
o Parliamentary!debates!could!not!be!called!into!question!by!the!monarch!or!in!any!proceeding!in!
the!courts%
o The!Crown!ought!to!summon!parliaments!on!a!regular!basis%
!!
%
• Act%of%Settlement%(1701):%Decreased%the%vulnerability%of%the%judges%to%The%Crown%%%
o Gave!security!of!tenure%
o Previously!they!served!‘at!the!king’s!pleasure’,!which!left!them!susceptible!to!the!king’s!pressure!
(e.g.!Case(of(Ship(Money)%
o Serve!‘during!good!behaviour’!and!could!be!removed!only!on!an!address!(request)!passed!by!
both!houses!of!Parliament%
Australian!judges!today!enjoy!security!of!tenure!and!fixed!salary,!meaning!that!they!are!
independent!and!not!subject!to!pressure!from!legislature!or!the!executive%
%
%
• Code%Napoléon%(1820)%
o Napoleon!drew!up!and!extensive!set!of!written!laws!known!as!the!‘civil!code’!which!was!made!
to!apply!to!all!of!France!(19th!Century/French!Revolution)!
Ø It!included!the!Civil!code,!the!Code!of!Criminal!Procedure,!the!Penal!Code!and!the!
Commercial!Code!!
o The!principles!that!form!it!are!still!part!of!the!European!Civil!Law!and!the!law!of!the!other!
places!that!undertook!European!Law!
• Convergence%in%substantive%and%procedural%law%of%many%jurisdictions%(21st%century)%
Document Summary
What sources or laws exist: religious texts (e. g. old testament deuteronomy, morals. Adultery: t h e r e i s not necessarily a connection between morality and legality. The have a strong theoretical emphasis and attach considerable importance to the writing of legal scholars. Based on codifications (code of laws) (i. e. intended to be complete, coherent and limited the role of judges: paths of common and civil law diverge from here. Common law: based on the procedure, methods and the decisions of the english courts. Council and gave the king"s council the right to wage war on the king if he failed to consult them. Council members were not elected and did not make statutes or laws. Precursor of the privy council: guaranteed citizens important constitutional rights (e. g. liberty and security in property) Common pleas would be heard in a fixed place. Only those who had learned the law could be appointed judges or sheriffs.
