Imperial Decrees and Role of the Roman Emperors in Justice Cover Image

Императорските декрети и ролята на императора в правораздаването
Imperial Decrees and Role of the Roman Emperors in Justice

Author(s): Malina Novkirishka- Stoyanova
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, History of Law, Philosophy of Law
Published by: Нов български университет
Keywords: Princeps; Imperator (Emperor); Constitutio principis (Imperial Constitution); Jurisdictio (Jurisdiction); Justice; Precedent

Summary/Abstract: The article is dedicated to a less known type of constitutions, the so-called decrees, which were issued by the Roman Emperors. In Roman law decrees, however, especially in the age of the Empire, is a certain type of imperial constitution. The article examines the etymology of the term and the legal nature of the imperial act. The imperial decrees constitute decisions to specific cases submitted for decision to the Roman Emperor as sole or appellate court. They were bound not only the parties themselves, but were precedents erga omnes. These decrees are predecessors of modern case-law. Through the above-mentioned decrees the Roman Em-peror played considerable role in the law-making and deliverying justice in the Age of Antiquity.

  • Issue Year: 2/2013
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 112-129
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Bulgarian