Non liquet

Non liquet

In law, a non liquet is a situation where there is no applicable law. Non liquet translates into English from Latin as "it is not clear." [1] According to Cicero, the term was applied during the Roman Republic to a verdict of "not proven" where the guilt or innocence of the accused was "not clear." [2] Lacuna is a related word which means "gap, void, defect, want, or loss" and is used to indicate a gap in the law.[3]

That is to say, a court comes to the conclusion that the situation engaged in a case has no answer from the governing system of law. This is of particular relevance to international law since international courts, be it the ICJ or ad hoc tribunals, cannot invent law to redress a lacuna. As has now become the practice, the last resort that can be taken recourse to in deciding contentious cases is the widely accepted law of civilized nations (see generally Barcelona Traction, as accepting the doctrine of estoppel as part of international law). The ex aequo et bono jurisdiction has to date never been accepted by states, and it is believed[citation needed] that states would never accept it. Thus, absence of determinable international law leads to the court declaring something non liquet. But it has been argued by many that invoking of the non liquet doctrine is opposed to the notion of law being a complete (and autonomous) system.[4] Note that municipal courts enforcing international law are not constrained to declare an area non liquet.[5]

References

  1. ^ Black's Law Dictionary (8th ed. 2004)
  2. ^ See Charton T. Lewis, A Latin Dictionary, liqueo[1] and Cic. Clu. 28.76.[2]
  3. ^ Garner BA. (2001). A dictionary of modern legal usage, p. 496. Oxford University Press. See also Charton T. Lewis, A Latin Dictionary[3]
  4. ^ See for example Luhmann, Law as a Social System (Oxford, 2004), at p. 281.
  5. ^ Nourse LJ to that effect in [1988] 3 WLR 1118 : 80 ILR 135

External links



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • non liquet — non li|quet 〈sprichwörtl.〉 1. es lässt sich nicht entscheiden 2. 〈Rechtsw.〉 der Sachverhalt ist nicht geklärt u. kann auch nicht geklärt werden [lat., „es ist nicht klar“] * * * Non liquet   Diese altrömische Rechtsformel ist unter anderem in… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Non liquet — Non li quet [L.] It is not clear; a verdict given by a jury when a matter is to be deferred to another day of trial. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • non liquet — /non luy kwit/, Law. (of evidence, a cause, etc.) it is not clear or evident. [1650 60; < L non liquet] * * * …   Universalium

  • non liquet — /non likwat/laykwat/ It is not clear. In the Roman courts, when any of the judges, after the hearing of a cause, were not satisfied that the case was made clear enough for them to pronounce a verdict, they were privileged to signify this opinion… …   Black's law dictionary

  • non liquet — /non likwat/laykwat/ It is not clear. In the Roman courts, when any of the judges, after the hearing of a cause, were not satisfied that the case was made clear enough for them to pronounce a verdict, they were privileged to signify this opinion… …   Black's law dictionary

  • Non liquet —         (лат.) не ясно. Философский энциклопедический словарь. М.: Советская энциклопедия. Гл. редакция: Л. Ф. Ильичёв, П. Н. Федосеев, С. М. Ковалёв, В. Г. Панов. 1983 …   Философская энциклопедия

  • non liquet — лат. (нон ликвэт) неясно. Толковый словарь иностранных слов Л. П. Крысина. М: Русский язык, 1998 …   Словарь иностранных слов русского языка

  • Non liquet — (lat.), s. N. L …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Non liquet — (lat)., es ist nicht klar …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Non liquet — (lat.), es ist nicht klar …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Non liquet — Non liquet, lat., es ist nicht klar …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

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