law
Let an agent treat a legal rule as something with a source, a jurisdiction, a period of validity and an interpretation, never as a free-floating statement of what is allowed.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent treat a legal rule as something with a source, a jurisdiction, a period of validity and an interpretation, never as a free-floating statement of what is allowed.
A body of binding rules made or recognised by an authority, enforced by institutions, and applying within a jurisdiction to those it covers.
What it is for: Governing conduct, settling disputes and allocating rights and duties with the backing of enforcement.
It can be cite it, by its official designation and version; apply it to facts, which is interpretation and can be contested; comply with it, breach it, or challenge its validity; amend or repeal it, through the procedure it or a higher rule defines.
Distinguishing features
Binding and enforceable, which separates it from ethics, guidance and custom without legal recognition
Bounded by jurisdiction and by time: it applies somewhere, to someone, from one date to another
Hierarchical: a constitution, a statute and a regulation do not carry equal weight
The text and its interpretation by courts are both part of what the law is
What it looks like
Texts: statutes, codes, regulations, judgments and treaties, published in official gazettes and databases. Customary and religious law may have no single authoritative text.
How it is recognised
An official publication with an issuing authority, a date and a designation
Consolidated versions are convenience texts; the enacted and amending texts are the authoritative ones in many systems
A text that looks like law may be a draft, a bill, guidance or a repealed provision
Related models
is a kind of - inherits scope, validity and authority questions
applies within - the same act can be lawful in one jurisdiction and unlawful in another
is enforced by - enforcement is what makes the rule law rather than advice
is confused with - the discipline studies law; this entry is the body of rules
In practice
Families and kinds
by source: constitution, statute, regulation, case law, treaty, custom
by field: criminal, civil, administrative, commercial, labour, and many more
by system: civil law, common law, religious law, mixed systems
by level: international, supranational, national, regional, local
Identifiers
ELI European Legislation Identifier URI identifies legislation and its versions in participating states
ECLI European Case Law Identifier identifies judgments
official citation jurisdiction-specific the designation courts use; formats differ by system
Standards and regulation
The constitution or basic law of each state, which governs how law is made
Rules on promulgation and publication, which decide when a text takes effect
Akoma Ntoso (OASIS LegalDocML), a standard for machine-readable legal texts
Failure modes and hazards
Citing a repealed, amended or not yet in force version
Applying a rule outside the jurisdiction it belongs to
Treating a single text as the whole law when case law or higher rules modify it
Giving an answer that reads as legal advice when the agent has no standing to give it
Also called
+787
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.law-act
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Source and authority Where the rule comes from and what it outranks.
The weight of a legal rule depends entirely on its source, and the source is what an agent must cite.
Source and designation
The issuing authority and the official designation.
Source of the rule
Who made it, in which instrument, under which power.
- Which authority made this rule, in which instrument, and under what power? provenance
- What is its official designation, and where is the authoritative text published? provenance
Place in the hierarchy
What it overrides and what overrides it.
Hierarchy of norms
Its rank relative to other applicable rules.
- What rank does this rule hold, and which higher rules constrain it? definition
- How is a conflict with another rule of the same rank resolved? boundary
Scope and validity Where, when and to whom it applies.
Most wrong legal answers are right about the rule and wrong about its scope or its date.
Jurisdiction and addressees
The territory and the persons covered.
Scope of application
Where and to whom it applies.
- In which jurisdiction does this rule apply, and to whom? boundary
- Which exemptions or special regimes take cases out of its scope? boundary
Validity in time
Entry into force, amendment and repeal.
Temporal validity
The dates and versions that matter.
- Which version was in force on the date that matters here? provenance
- Is any part of it suspended, under challenge or scheduled to change? boundary
Interpretation and application What it means for particular facts.
Law is applied through interpretation, and interpretation belongs to courts and competent authorities, not to an agent.
Authoritative interpretation
Case law and official guidance.
Interpretive sources
The decisions and guidance that settle meaning.
- Which court decisions or official guidance interpret this rule? provenance
- Where is its meaning contested, and between whom? boundary
Application to facts
Bringing the rule to a situation.
Application limits
What an agent may and may not conclude.
- What facts decide whether this rule applies in a given case? definition
- At what point must an agent refer the question to a qualified professional? action
Compliance and enforcement What it requires and what happens on breach.
The practical content of a rule is the duty it imposes and the consequence of failing it.
Duties and rights
What it requires, forbids or grants.
Operative content
The obligations and entitlements it creates.
- What does this rule require, forbid or permit, and of whom? definition
- What evidence would show compliance? measurement
Enforcement and remedies
Sanctions, remedies and who enforces them.
Consequences of breach
The sanctions and remedies and the bodies that apply them.
- What sanctions or remedies follow a breach, and who applies them? definition
- What time limits apply to enforcing it? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- Should the registry model a legal provision, a legal act and a legal system as separate entries?
- How should a model record the version in force at a given date, given retroactive and delayed effect?
- What should an agent do when two applicable rules conflict and no court has resolved it?