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The Relationship between Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary


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Type

Book chapter

Change log

Authors

Young, AL 

Abstract

When examining the recent evolution of the Constitution, it is argued that the UK has become more ‘legal’ as opposed to ‘political’. The last twenty years has seen a growth in legislation and case law, particularly that of the Supreme Court, regulating aspects of the UK constitution. This chapter investigates this claim. It argues that, whilst we can point to a growth in both legislation and case law, when we look at the case law more closely we can see that the courts balance an array of factors when determining how far to control executive actions. These factors include an analysis of the relative institutional features and constitutional role of the legislature, the executive and the courts. This evidence, in turn, questions the traditional understanding of the separation of powers as a hidden component of the UK constitution. It is not the case that courts merely balance the rule of law and parliamentary sovereignty in order to determine how far to control executive actions. Rather, the courts determine how to make this balance through the lens of the separation of powers, evaluating institutional and constitutional features. In doing so, they are upholding necessary checks and balances in the UK constitution.

Description

Title

The Relationship between Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary

Keywords

48 Law and Legal Studies, 4807 Public Law, 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Is Part Of

The Changing Constitution (9th edn)

Book type

Publisher

Oxford University Press

ISBN

9780198806363