THE QUESTION OF LAW
THE QUESTION OF LAW
Jurisprudence is the philosophy of law, or the science which deals with positive law and legal relations. The study of jurisprudence asks questions such as: What is law? Where does it come from? Why do we have it? When do we first meet it? Where have you met it? In my opinion, no nation that does not have an informed populace in jurisprudence can be strong and free.
Fundamentally, law may be called rules governing behavior between people.
Purposes for law include: to regulate human relations; to determine ownership/control of property; to fix parameters of freedom in community and relationships by restraining anarchy (for without law there is only anarchy); to produce justice. But so long as we agree and live out our agreements, we do not need written law. But when we disagree, we must have a system designed to restore us to agreement or decide between us so we do not fall into blood feuds. To have a system we must recognize need for a Rule of Law.
But who decides what is or is not justice? A legislature passing laws? Public opinion directing legislators? Judges? Juries? Money? Lawyers? Yes, but No - each individual will decide, inside him, when in conflict, whether he will accept the outcome as justice or not.
Law can be spoken of in many different ways: Political, Criminal, Civil, and Equitable, or Constitutional, Statutory and Procedural. Or case precedent (stare decisis) or local custom (tradition); or in a vertical manner - international, then national, then district, then city, etc.; or repressive, democratic, autonomous, common, etc. Yet all law will, at times, seem arbitrary and capricious. That is because people make the decisions, not the law - the law is not self-acting. Rule of Law asks the question: "Are these decisions of people made in a framework of law, or a framework of no law?"
The problem always was, and is: What is an adequate base for law? What is adequate so that a human desire for freedom can exist without anarchy and yet be gentle enough to provide a form that will not become arbitrary tyranny?
Jurisprudence has to do with administration, or weighing of justice, or right values. All pronouncements of right and wrong are moral concerns, at their base religious. In recent years we have witnessed numerous marches on Washington in which one group or another demanded new "rights"; not freedom from state control but entitlement to state action, protection, or subsidy. In creating rights a state inevitably enlarges its bureaucracy. As a state creates new rights, it necessarily diminishes some rights for others. The modern secular view holds that individuals have just such rights as laws give them. Rights must have a reference point arid specific context or they are meaningless; reference point determines the nature of the right exercised, defines who possesses it and sets limits to others who must respect it.
When we fail to live at peace, we need compulsion - so the law exists to compel. It does this by punishment.
Man's methods of law place two people in combat against each other, using advocates (lawyers) who, in the normal setting, keep the parties separate from one another. In this, we say that we search for the truth of the case.
Exercises.
1. Translate the following words and word combinations or find Russian equivalents:
case precedent; rules governing behavior between people; nature of crime charged; to account for our actions which hurt others; law is the rule of action; regulation of human relations; legislature passing laws; public opinion directing legislators; reformation; restraint; retribution; general deterrent; specific deterrent; transgression; probation.
2. Translate the following sentences into Russian:
1. No nation which does not have an informed populace in jurisprudence can be strong and free.
2. Law may be regarded as rules governing behavior between people.
3. Purposes for law include; (a) to regulate human relations; (b) to determine ownership/control of property; (c) to fix parameters of freedom in community and relationship by restraining anarchy.
4. Legislature passes laws; public opinion directs legislators.
5. Law can be spoken of in many different ways; political, criminal, civil, and equitable are recognized divisions.
6. Legal theories define jurisprudence as science of the law. It encompasses more than this. The Latin term jurist means just or right. Prudentia, also Latin means practical skill in the management or business affairs.
7. Purposes for law: (a) equality of treatment, (b) protection of rights; (c) protection of property; (d) freedom to pursue happiness, (e) equality of process, (f) and existence of a problem solver.
8. When we fail to observe the rules of law, we need compulsion. The Law does it by punishment, with five justifications, reformation, restraint, retribution, general deterrent, specific deterrent.
3. Fill the gaps in the sentences below with the words and expressions from the box. There are two expressions which you don’t need to use.
civil, adversarial, judicial, criminal, legislative, jurisprudence, jurisdiction, In- ternational Law, Procedural Law, autonomous, Statutory law, political, executive, prudence, warning
1. The study of the philosophy of law is called _ but the study of what court can enter a full faith and credit judgment in your case is a study of the _ of a court.
2. Our legal system is considered to be _ and _.
3. The three major branches of the law are _.
4. The three branches of the Federal Government in the United States are _, _, and _.
5. _ is the body of law created by acts of the legislature.
6. The law which prescribes methods of enforcing rights, machinery for carrying on procedural aspects of civil or criminal action is _.
7. The law which regulates the intercourse of nations, determines the rights and regulates the intercourse of independent nations in peace and war is _.
4. Find English equivalents for the following Russian expressions and words:
принцип господства права; статутное право; законодательный орган; обязывающая сила прецедентов (лат.); право справедливости; попытка подсудимого выговорить себе более мягкий приговор; обвинительный приговор; оправдательный приговор; нарушение закона; предупреждение, предостережение; исправление документа, преступника; лишение; кара; общая правовая санкция; конкретная правовая санкция.
5. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English:
1. Юриспруденция является юридической наукой и/или правовой системой; данный термин происходит от двух латинских слов juris (“of right, of law”) and prudence (“care" and “diligence").
2. Неуклонное и точное соблюдение законности (правовых норм) является обязательным для соблюдения всеми органами государства, должностными лицами, общественными организациями и всеми гражданами, всеми юридическими и физическими лицами.
3. Гражданское право регулирует имущественные и связанные ними личные неимущественные отношения, устанавливает принципы и нормы ответственности участников коллизий, не относящихся к уголовному нраву.
4. Уголовное право устанавливает принципы уголовной ответственности, применения наказаний за преступления, определяет конкретные составы преступлений и меры наказания за них.
5. Конституция — основной закон государства, определяющий общественное и государственное устройство страны.
Контрольная по английскому создана для будущих юристов.
