Judges and the Language of Law

This book looks at how the language of the law has changed over time, and how this has empowered judges. In particular it looks at how this has empowered judges to rule against governments.

Analyses how the language of the law has changed over time Explains how changes to the language have empowered judges to rule against governments Incorporates findings from a century of changes to the law

Autorentext

Matthew Williams is Tutor and Fellow of Jesus College, University of Oxford, UK. He lectures on British and comparative politics. His research analyses the language of politics, how the language of legislation has changed over the past century, and the effects of these changes on litigation strategies and public administration.

Inhalt

Part 1. Language in Contemporary Politics.- Chapter 1. Introduction and State of the Art.- Chapter 2. Modern Political Language.- Part 2. Quantitative History.- Chapter 3. The New Constitutionalism in 187 Countries.- Chapter 4. Regulating the Extent of the State in Five Democracies.- Part 3. Qualitative History.- Chapter 5. Rule of Law without a Constitution in the UK.- Chapter 6. Federalism and Party Polarisation in the US.- Chapter 7. Mixed Legal Systems with Human Rights Reform in Canada.- Chapter 8. Executive Dominance with Decentralisation in France.- Chapter 9. The Burden of History, with the Promise of Philosophy in Germany.- Chapter 10. Conclusions.