The Constitution - Key Terms Flashcards
Authoritative work
A work written by an expert describing how a political system is run; it is not legally binding but is taken as a significant guide.
Common law
Laws made by judges in cases where the law does not cover the issue or is unclear.
Constitution
A set of rules determining where sovereignty lies in a political system, and establishing the relationship between the government and the governed.
Conventions
Traditions not contained in law but influential in the operation of a political system.
Devolution
The dispersal of power, but not sovereignty, within a political system.
Parliamentary sovereignty
The principle that Parliament can make, amend or unmake any law, and cannot bind its successor nor be bound by its predecessors.
Rule of law
The principle that all people and bodies, including government, must follow the law and can be held to account if they do not.
Statute law
Law passed by Parliament.
Treaties
Formal agreements with other countries, usually ratified by Parliament.
Uncodified/codified
An uncodified constitution is not contained in a single written document, unlike a codified constitution which is written in a single authoritative document.
Unentrenched/entrenched
An unentrenched constitution has no special procedure for amendment, unlike an entrenched constitution, which requires separate rules and procedures for amendment.
Unitary/federal
A unitary political system is one where all legal sovereignty is contained in a single place, unlike a federal system where legal sovereignty is shared between a national government and regional governments.
