LJU4801
ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 1 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: APRIL 2025
, LJU4801
Assignment 2 Semester 1 2025
Unique Number:
Due Date: April 2025
Legal Philosophy
Question 1
Judges don’t just make decisions on their own without any influence. According to
objectivist theories, they are part of a larger community of legal thinkers who shape how
cases should be decided. Dworkin’s communalist theory aligns with this idea because
he argues that judges interpret the law based on principles that have been developed
and refined over time by the legal community.
Imagine a judge as part of a long conversation that has been going on for years—each
judge adds their own voice, but they can’t just say anything they want. They have to
respect past decisions, legal traditions, and moral reasoning that the community of
judges and legal scholars have built. This means that when a judge makes a ruling, they
are not acting on personal opinions but rather following the broader legal framework that
their peers and predecessors have shaped.
Dworkin believed that law is like a chain novel—each judge writes a new chapter, but
they have to stay true to the story that has already been told. They use past rulings,
legal principles, and fairness to decide cases in a way that makes sense within the
existing legal system. In this sense, judges are not isolated decision-makers but active
participants in a collective legal journey.
ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 1 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: APRIL 2025
, LJU4801
Assignment 2 Semester 1 2025
Unique Number:
Due Date: April 2025
Legal Philosophy
Question 1
Judges don’t just make decisions on their own without any influence. According to
objectivist theories, they are part of a larger community of legal thinkers who shape how
cases should be decided. Dworkin’s communalist theory aligns with this idea because
he argues that judges interpret the law based on principles that have been developed
and refined over time by the legal community.
Imagine a judge as part of a long conversation that has been going on for years—each
judge adds their own voice, but they can’t just say anything they want. They have to
respect past decisions, legal traditions, and moral reasoning that the community of
judges and legal scholars have built. This means that when a judge makes a ruling, they
are not acting on personal opinions but rather following the broader legal framework that
their peers and predecessors have shaped.
Dworkin believed that law is like a chain novel—each judge writes a new chapter, but
they have to stay true to the story that has already been told. They use past rulings,
legal principles, and fairness to decide cases in a way that makes sense within the
existing legal system. In this sense, judges are not isolated decision-makers but active
participants in a collective legal journey.
