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Summary Legal History 2022 Notes
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Complete summary of the course Legal History (year 2021/22), includes the necessary readings, lectures and workshops.
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Legal History Notes,Cases and Definitions
Y1 Q2
ISABELL GÖTTMANN
,Table of Contents
Week 1...............................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................2
Natural law...................................................................................................................................4
Workshop.....................................................................................................................................8
Week 2: Roman law...........................................................................................................9
Workshop...................................................................................................................................14
Week 3: Italy....................................................................................................................15
Workshop...................................................................................................................................25
Week 4: France................................................................................................................27
Workshop...................................................................................................................................36
Week 5: Germany.............................................................................................................37
Workshop...................................................................................................................................51
Week 6: The Netherlands.................................................................................................53
Week 6: Common Law (I)..................................................................................................59
Workshop...................................................................................................................................63
Week 7: Common Law (II).................................................................................................65
Week 7: Europe................................................................................................................70
Workshop...................................................................................................................................75
,Week 1
Introduction
Codification
Latin: codex (= book) & facere (= to make)
Established by Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832) during age of
enlightenment
A collection and systematic arrangement of the laws of a state or country,
or statutory provisions and regulations that govern a specific area or
subject of law or practice
3 essential elements
Written provisions
either written law of a complete nature or particular field
(administrative, criminal…)
This course = private law
Issued by body with authority (government)
o Government that exercises its authority over its subjects
(beware: societies without governments or governments
without authority)
o Authority must be accepted by citizens
o contrat sociale (Jean Jacques Rousseau 1712 – 1778)
Individual´s will is voluntarily subordinated to the
general will of the community as a result of a tacit
contract of the individual with the community
The individual loses its natural liberty, but gains civil
liberty
Minority places itself under the authority of the
majority
Exclusivity (because of governments authority): no other source of
law to be used
o No laws other than the codification applies in the same field
o Completeness can only be achieved by authority of
government
o BUT law cannot be complete!
o Must be interpreted/explained – generally through
subconscious interpretation of the viewer (res ipsa loquitor)
no text can be without interpretation
Functions of codification
Legal certainty -> what law applies? What legal basis?
Criminal law: nulla poena sine previa lege poenali
Political function: strengthening of national unity
Economic function: uniform regulations (e.g., cross border trade)
Codification and interpretation
Interpretation: to give meaning to words
How can recent or more ancient law be used to settle disputes in modern
society?
Ancient statutes can still be used to settle disputes in modern society
because of the interpretation by the judiciary
o Interpretation of norms in a broad and general way (+ taking into
account other factors)
, Codifications of civil law
o France (1804)
o The Netherlands (1809/1811/1838/1992)
o Germany (1900)
o Corpus Iuris by Justinian (533 – 534)
Answer: Interpretation by judiciary
Examples:
o Local: Academic statute for PhD ceremony lasts exactly 1 hour
o Bourne (Inspector of Taxes) v Norwich Crematorium Ltd. (1967)
Income Tax Act 1952: (…) or the subject of goods and
material to any process.` cremation of corpses?
o Nix v Hedden (1893)
Tariff Act 1883: Tax on imported `vegetables`: are tomatoes
vegetables or fruits?
Interpretation methods (see page _)
Intrinsic
o Grammatical interpretation
Extrinisc
o Systematic interpretation
o Interpretation based on legislative history
o Historical interpretation (legal history of provision)
o Teleological interpretation (Telos: purpose)
The necessity of interpretation
E.g., Dutch law: art. 13 General Provisions
o A judge who refuses to pass judgement under the pretext the law is
silent, dark or incomplete, may be prosecuted for denial of justice. `
o Lex semper loquitur! (The law always speaks)
The importance of interpretation
o What is tort? -> an illegal act (art. 1401 of Old Civil Code BW)
o Waterpipe in Zutphen (HR 10 June 1910)
Illegal = forbidden by any section of state
o Lindenbaum v Cohen (31 january 1919)
Illegal = against the law (unwritten or written): breach of
duty to care -> reasonable care expected in social life of each
citizen (negligence)
o Donoghue v Stevenson (1932): reasonable care to avoid act or
omissions which can be reasonably be foreseen and would likely
injure your neighbour
The dangers of interpretation
o German Civil Code during Nazi-regime
o Constitutional courts
o Montesquieu`s Trias Politica
Separation of Powers
Tension between the powers
Legislature <-> Judiciary
Executive <-> >Judiciary
Executive <-> Legislature
o Attempt to limit the power of judges
Ban on interpretation
Ban on commentaries
Authentic interpretation by legislator
Référé législatif (referral to legislator)
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