Формы (источники) права

Право, как и государство, всегда выражается и осуществляется в определен­ных формах. Что это за формы и в чем их особенность?

Под формой права — способом его выражения — понимаются норматив­ные акты, прецеденты, правовые обычаи.

Исторически сложилось так, что в правовых системах таких государств, как Россия, Франция, ФРГ, Италия, Швейцария, Япония и др., наиболее распрост­раненной формой права является нормативный акт. В то же время в правовых системах Великобритании, Австралии, Канады, США и других ведущее место среди форм права занимает прецедент.

Отличительной особенностью нормативных актов является то, что они со­держат в себе общеобязательные правила поведения и издаются органами го­сударственной власти и управления. С их помощью устанавливаются новые или изменяются и дополняются старые, действующие нормы права. Все норма­тивные акты находятся в строгой иерархии: законы, подзаконные акты — ука­зы, постановления, инструкции и т. п. На вершине ее конституция.

Прецедент выступает в виде некоего образца поведения или действия су­дебных и административных органов при решении аналогичных с ранее рас­сматривавшимися решений или дел. Соответственно прецеденты подразделя­ются на судебные и административные. Первые создаются судебными, а вто­рые — административными органами. Систему права, основанную на судеб­ном прецеденте, зачастую называют судейским правом.

Правовые обычаи представляют собой правила поведения, первоначально сложившиеся в процессе самой жизни, в результате их многократного и дли­тельного применения, а затем санкционированные и взятые под защиту госу­дарством.

Lesson 3. CASE LAW AND CODIFIED LAW SYSTEMS

Terms and expressions

case law

common law

the concept of precedent

doctrine of stare decisis

to be contrasted with (to)

the concept of res adjudicata

the matter is closed

the conclusion of the lawsuit

the loosing party

to decide the dispute

a court of competent jurisdiction

written opinion

in deciding subsequent cases

subordinate courts

to be bound by the rule of law

the parties involved

to provide both certainty and predictability

reliance upon precedent

legal significance

reasonable certainty

to renounce precedent

an unpopular court ruling

to overrule

the common-law system

the continental law

judicial decision

to be beyond the grasp

laymen

private law

to govern one’s conduct

the advice of legal counsel

codified law system

Task 1. Переведите в классе устно, а дома письменно на русский язык (рекомендуется для зрительно-устного и зрительно-письменного перевода)

Case law

Case law, or common law, is based on the concept of precedent and the doctrine of stare decisis, which means “to stand by decisions and not to disturb what is settled”.

This means that the case has established a precedent. The doctrine of stare decisis must be contrasted with the concept of res adjudicata, which means that the "thing has been decided". Res adjudicata applies when, between the parties themselves, the matter is closed at the conclusion of the lawsuit. The losing party cannot again ask a court to decide the dispute. Stare decisis means that a court of competent jurisdiction has decided a controversy and has, in a written opinion, set forth the rule or principle that formed the basis for its decision, so that rule or principle will be followed by the court in deciding subsequent cases. Likewise, subordinate courts in the same jurisdiction will be bound by the rule of law set forth in the decision. State decisis,, then, affects persons who are not parties to the lawsuit, but res adjudi­cata applies only to the parties involved.

Stare decisis provides both certainty and predictability to the law. It is also expedient. Through reliance upon precedent established in prior cases the common law has resolved many legal issues and brought stability into many areas of the law, such as the law of contracts. The doctrine of stare decisis provides a system wherein a businessman may act in a certain way with confidence that his action will have a certain legal effect. People can rely on prior decisions and, knowing the legal significance of their action, act accordingly. There is reasonable certainty as to the results of conduct. Courts usually hesitate to renounce precedent and generally assume that if a principle or rule of law announced in a former judicial decision is unfair or contrary to public policy, it will be changed by legislation. It is important to note that an unpopular court ruling can usually be changed, or overruled by statute. Precedent has more force on trial courts than on courts of review; the latter have the power to make precedent in the first instance.

The common-law system as used in the United States has several inherent difficulties. First of all, the unbelievably large volume of judicial decisions, each possi­bly creating precedent, places "the law" beyond the actual knowledge of lawyers, let alone, laymen. Large Law firms employ lawyers whose sole task is to search the case reports for "the law" to be used in lawsuits and in advising their clients. Legal research involves the examination of cases in hundreds of volumes. Because the total body of ruling case law is beyond the grasp of lawyers, it is obvious that laymen who are supposed to know the law and govern their conduct accordingly do not know the law and cannot always follow it, even with the advice of legal-counsel.

Task 2. Переведите письмено.