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Interpreting the constitution
Constitutional interpretation
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Defining Constitutional interpretation
Constitutional interpretation refers to the authoritative interpretation of the supreme Constitution by the judiciary during judicial review of the constitutionality of legislation and government action in terms of section 172 of the Constitution. This interpretation includes the filtering of rights , when applying the law section 172 of the Constitution requires that courts ensure that laws that are inconsistent with are invalidated. This interpretation’s primary role includes the ascertainment of its inherent foundational values
Defining ordinary statutory interpretation
Statutory interpretation is about construing enacted law texts with reference to and reliance on other law texts, concretising the
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Both forms of legislative interpretation are interrelated; both are members of the same broad interpretive family. Ordinary interpretation is thus favoured to be defined based on the text-in-context approach and similar to that of the Constitutional interpretation. Because of this, it is also required that ordinary legislation be interpreted based on section 39(2) of the Constitution , which requires that the interpretation of any legislation by any court promote the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of …show more content…
By constitutional design, the Public Protector’s findings must have consequences, for its findings not to have consequences or to be ineffective would mean that the offices’ powers are futile in strengthening our constitutional democracy.
The president’s action being adjudicated upon in a court of law is an exercise of Constitutional Interpretation. Section 172 of the constitution guarantees that, the Constitutional court enjoys the exclusive jurisdiction to decide a failure by the President to fulfil his constitutional obligations ought not to be surprising, considering the magnitude and vital importance of his responsibilities.
Mogoeng CJ, concluded that the EFF has made out a case that the President’s alleged failure to comply with the remedial action coupled with the failure to uphold the Constitution, relate to constitutional obligations imposed specifically on him that are intimately connected to the issue central to this application, which is the obligation for the President to comply with the remedial action. Conditions for the exercise of this Court’s exclusive jurisdiction have been met .
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Originalism, an orthodox principle of legal interpretation, focuses on interpretation pursuant to the original understanding of constitutional words . This incorporates arguments from the ‘text, context, purpose and structure of the constitution’. The originalist method of constitutional in...
The United States Constitution is a national government that consist of citizen’s basic rights and fundamental laws. This document was signed on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia by the majority of representatives. Today, the United States Constitution’s purpose is to supply a strong central government. However, before the United States Constitution was developed, many citizens did not support the constitution due to the fact that they found it contradicting and detached from the original goals of the Declaration of Independence. These citizens were known as anti-federalists. Fortunately, George Washington was a supporter of the constitution and had an enormous impact in the public support of the constitution. With a few adjustments, some
The Constitution of the United States is one of the most iconic and important documents of all time. However, when it was first generated, its writing and ratification caused some major concerns. The purpose of the Constitution was to address the great number of issues of a new nation. To be more specific, the Constitution was meant to resolve the political, economic, and social problems of the country. Nevertheless, the document spurred much discussion and concern over people’s rights, the economy, and political corruption.
4. The District Court rejected Nixon's motion saying that the judiciary, not the President, was the final arbiter of a claim of executive privilege. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court by the President.
The question in this case was whether or not the president had the power to order a trial by military for a group of German Nazi saboteurs, and whether or not that violated their fifth and sixth amendment rights. The agents attempted to sabotage various US targets, but failed. They were arrested and ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt to stand trial by military commission. They were all found guilty and sentenced to death. Seven of the eight agents filed a writ of habeas corpus directly to the Supreme Court, who decided to hear the
There are two methods one can use when interpreting the Constitution. The first method includes not doing something unless the Constitution says that one can (i.e. unless the Constitution says one can do something, then one cannot). The other is where one can go ahead and do something if the Constitution doesn’t say one can’...
The role of the judiciary is to interpret and apply the law, not to make it. In some cases an approach that gives slightly more emphasis to the text may be seen to be more in line with the judiciary’s constitutional position. The law is written in the words of the statutes, and Parliament has an obligation to express law correctly. The role of the court courts is not to ensure that Parliament hits the target every time, especially when the legislation does not clearly display those targets.
What does the Constitution mean to me? Well the Constitution has many meanings to me, because in my family we are taught to respect the Constitution and the people that serve our country day and night. To me the Constitution can be interpreted many ways, isn’t that why we have nine Supreme Court Justices. Let me tell you what the Constitution means to me.
The U.S. Constitution has a unique history. Facing drafts and ratifications it was finally created under the founding fathers in 1787. The constitution is the foundation for the government we have today and influences almost every decision that government officials make. However, before the constitution was influencing, it was influenced. The political, economic, and diplomatic crises of the 1780s not only helped shape America, but also the provisions found the constitution.
The document I chose to write about is the United States Constitution. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that “governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The “colonies” had to establish a government, which would be the framework for the United States. The purpose of a written constitution is to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787.
The President of the United States is commonly referred to as the most powerful man in the world. The President is the head of the country which boasts the world’s largest economy, commander and chief of the most powerful military in the world, and has command authority over the largest active nuclear arsenal in the world. However, his power is not unlimited. Throughout the history of the United States, some presidents have attempted to go beyond the powers granted to them. Most of these attempts have ended in scandal. Regardless of whether these actions were for the good of the nation or for personal gain, laws must be obeyed. Otherwise the United States would become the same tyrannical government our forefathers fought to escape from.
The Constitution is the building block for the President’s role as Chief Executive. Through the vesting clause of Article II- paragraph one- executive power is placed exclusively in the President’s hands. Article II-Section III authorizes the President “… to give Congress information of the State of The Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient”, known commonly as the annual The State of the Union address. Through the State of the Union address the President demonstrates another important aspect of h...
The government is supposed to interpret the constitution. All three branches have to interpret the constitution but it is the Supreme Court who has the sole responsibility of interpretation. The Supreme Court interprets laws and cases to see if they are constitutional or not. Judicial review is something the Supreme Court has the power to do. Judicial review was not included in the constitution but rather adopted as necessary. It came about through the court case, Marbury v. Madison. There are two forms of interpretation, originalism and non originalism (Marks; 9/13/16). Originalists believe that the constitution is meant to be applied to what it meant at the time it was drafted in 1787. Non Originalists believe that the constitution should not be applied literally but it should be used as a
The Constitution or “the supreme law of the land”, as stated in article six in the constitution is very complex. It is complex not only in its actual text full of ambiguities and vagueness, but it becomes more complex when used in practice and interpreted. Constitutional interpretation is significant because it is what decides what the constitution actually means. Constitutional interpretation is a guide judges use to find the legal meaning of the constitution. The interpretation of the constitution and amendments can make a big impact on outcomes. In our government and Judiciary, we see commonly see originalism being used to interpret the constitution and amendments, but there
The strict supremacy of statute over judicial decisions and a tradition of literalism in statutory interpretation, 2. Where no legislation exists, the courts are bound by the doctrine of precedent in accordance with a strict hierarchy of judicial authority, 3. In the absence of a relevant precedent, the judges will be guided by legal principle and reasoning by analogy, and 4. There is a clear way of distinguishing the ratio of a case. A key feature of the unwritten constitution is ‘the separation of powers’.