Rule of law definition and meaning collins english. It is a general rule of human conduct in society which is made and enforced by the government each law is a binding and authoritative rule or value or decision. Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples log in dictionary. The rule of law refers to a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the state itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced, and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards. Rule of law definition of rule of law by merriamwebster. The rule of law refers to a situation in which the people in a society obey its laws and. Rule of law definition is a situation in which the laws of a country are obeyed by everyone.
Law follows certain practices and customs in order to deal with crime, business, social relationships, property, finance, etc. The rule of law does not have a precise definition, and its meaning can vary between different nations and legal traditions. Rule of law definition, the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced. The rule of law requires that people should be governed by accepted rules, rather than by the arbitrary decisions of ruler s. The rule of law is a concept that describes the supreme authority of the law over.
The oxford english dictionary has defined rule of law. Definition of law is a rule of conduct developed by government or society over a certain territory. Generally, however, it can be understood as a legalpolitical regime under which. The 2015 rule of law handbook is dedicated to all those who promote the rule of law especially the members of the us military as well as our interagency and coalition partners.
The law is controlled and enforced by the controlling authority. The phrase has become chameleonlike, taking on whatever shade of meaning best fits the authors purpose. But without a clear definition, the rule of law is in danger of coming to mean virtually everything, so that it may in fact come to mean nothing at all. These rules should be general and abstract, known and certain, and. Everyone, it seems, is in favor of the rule of law.
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