Difference between revisions of "Course:Law3020/2014WT1/Group S/Positivism"

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(Created page with "Granovski - definite positive Austin: Command : CPP and the Drop out provision Ordering people to act in a certain way, make contributions otherwise it doesn’t work Super...")
 
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Granovski - definite positive
 
Granovski - definite positive
  
Austin:  
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According to Austin, there are three kinds of directives governing humans: God's Law or "revealed" law; positive morality (more commonly referred to as norms); and positive law.  The first two categories do not hold the same weight as the last, as Austin articulates that positive law is the main law, and has the most force.  Contrarily, God's law and positive morality are more directive.
Command : CPP and the Drop out provision
 
Ordering people to act in a certain way, make contributions otherwise it doesn’t work
 
Superior / Subordinates - parliament is recognized authority - CPP
 
CPP is not social policy program - the program is a choice
 
People are choosing to obey, choosing to follow it
 
People are subordinate, they are giving money to be in program.
 
Sanction:
 
Sanction is threatened penalty - you are sanctioned by not following their rules (denied money)
 
Don’t get to benefit from fruits of regulatory regime.
 
Does it work in a modern complex society? - awkward application
 
  
Pedigree test -
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Within Austin's idea of positive law there are three essential elements of each law: a command; issued by superiors to subordinates; and backed by sanctions. In addition, the law must pass the "pedigree test" - that is it must have been created within the rules of creating a law for the given jurisdiction.
What is the rules origins? - parliamentary action
 
Did it come into being correctly as a law according to the rules of the system? - yes
 
  
 +
Applying Austin's sentiments to ''Granovsky'' it becomes clear that the CPP provision is a valid law.
 +
 +
There is a command: the CPP itself, and more specifically the in question drop-out provision.  These commands act to order people to make contributions and act in a certain way otherwise the plan will be of no benefit.
 +
 +
There are valid superior's issuing a law to subordinates as parliament is the recognized authority of Canada and the CPP as it is available for all Canadians.  The general public can be said to be the subordinates, however, it is slightly obscure as people are not automatically required to abide by the CPP provisions.  The program is a choice, thus people will opt in and out at their choosing.  However, this does not change the fact that the public who choose to opt in are subordinates, they are giving money to be in the program and understand that they are expected to follow a certain set of rules in order to be able to benefit from the program.
 +
 +
***
 
Law must be “command of the sovereign”
 
Law must be “command of the sovereign”
 
Who is the sovereign - federal government enacted CPP  
 
Who is the sovereign - federal government enacted CPP  
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This is an old case, choice of CPP, nowadays it is taken automatically (for the most part)
 
This is an old case, choice of CPP, nowadays it is taken automatically (for the most part)
 
Either way, still subordinating yourself to the rule - authority of superior
 
Either way, still subordinating yourself to the rule - authority of superior
 +
***
  
S.15 - RULE OF LAW - complete sovereign, breaks down classification of sovereignty
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The sanction component of Austin's valid law is satisfied in the threatened penalty. If one chooses to opt in to the CPP but then do not follow the rules you may be denied money.  This acts as a sanction as then one does not get to benefit from the fruits of a regulatory regime.
Why is one law better than all the other laws, all the other laws have to comply
+
*** Does it work in a modern complex society? - awkward application
Super sovereignty
 
 
 
Fact judge has discretion is provided by legislature
 
What about dealing with the constitution, big issue when the SCC deals with interpreting constitution as constitution is overriding
 
Superior/Inferior breaks down as constitution is being interpreted by people who are subordinate to the constitution and to parliament.
 
Judicial independence, deals with constitutional validity of laws and common law - affects parliament until they make a change
 
Is the SCC a subordinate when it can override?
 
HLA Hart:
 
Primary rules: Can and cannot do
 
Secondary rules: regulatory in nature (this is not a direct command, you can choose whether or not you follow it, only sanction is you don’t get money)
 
CPP is not the problem, if they just followed letter of the law, it would not be a debate, debate comes from
 
 
 
Doesn’t have to be a command - does need to have validity from core members.
 
  
What about s.15
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With final regard given to Austin's "pedigree test" it becomes clear that this law was made in the correct manner. Parliament has the authority to pass laws and it can be assumed it came into being correctly.
Ultimate remedy - change the law, strike it down.
 
  
Empiraclly observable - yes
 
Rule of Recgonition - Officials within legal system believe in it because they are obligated to do so.
 
Not being consistently applied, rights were violated but it was justifiable under section 1
 
Not supporting HLA Hart - everyone is buying into the program, and trying to approach it in the same way but are reaching different results, threatens legitimacy or rulers as well.
 
Believe they are bound by it - Section 15
 
  
Bentham - common good doesn’t matter, maximizing utility matters.
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Applying these rules to the Charter is slightly problematic. Most notably Austin's view on the superior and subordinate classes becomes problematic as in Canada the Charter is seen as a superior law governing all others.  Austin does not agree with this as by his view as long as a law is valid it holds the same force as all other laws.  In addition, the idea of a superior and subordinate indicates that the superior is not bound by law, only the subordinate.  Therefore, the fact that the Charter applies to all levels of government is also problematic for Austin's view.
Separates morality and law - need to be valid and maximize utility (might be moral)
 
If parliament enacts shitty legislation, SCC can override it, Common law as well is binding on parliament - helps to create feedback loop that will hopefully maximize utility and moral good.
 
  
 +
Another issue with Austin's view is the role of the judicial branch. According to Austin parliament, and thus legislation, always trump judicial decisions.  However, in many cases (including Granovsky) the judge is interpreting legislation and thus gives practical effect to what is inherently superior to their role.  Therefore, it could be argued that the judicial and not the legislative branch has the superior status, which is problematic for Granovsky's view.  Through this interpretation, the whole decision in Granovsky is suspect as it could be said that the judge is acting outside of his role as subordinate by interpreting legislation.
  
 +
''''''HLA Hart:
 +
''''''
 +
Hart organizes law into a primary and secondary category. Primary rules are those that tell the public what they can and cannot do.  Secondary rules are regulatory in nature and one can choose whether or not you follow them.  Opposing Austin's theory, Hart states that laws do not have to be commands, all it needs to be valid is to be recognized by officials within the system.  Officials need to believe that they are obligated to engage in the behaviour and apply the law.
  
 +
Applying these characteristics to Granovsky it becomes clear that the CPP and the drop-out provision is a secondary law as one can opt into it. Granovsky points out that the CPP is not consistently applied throughout those who choose to opt in, in this sense one could argue that applying these dropout provisions violates too many rights and is therefore invalid.  However, as is evident in Granovsky, officials have been engaging in the drop-out provision and are clearly enforcing it.  Therefore the CPP satisfies Hart's rule of recognition requirement.
  
 +
What about s.15 of the Charter?
 +
The Charter is the ultimate remedy; it has the ability to change the law, and strike them down.  Therefore, it can be classified as a primary rule as in effect, it states what one can and cannot do.  Additionally, officials believe they are bound by Charter provisions and thus it satisfies the rule of recognition.
  
  
 +
'''Bentham'''
  
HLA Hart:
+
According to Bentham, the common good doesn’t matter, maximizing utility matters.  In essence, Bentham separates morality and law as he states that laws need only help the most amount of people.  Applying this to Granovsky it can be argued that the CPP legislation is in place to effectively help the most amount of people.  Although there is the contested drop-out provision, this is to ensure that the limited funds are allocated to those individuals who are in the most vulnerable position.
  
Judges do identify reasons as to why the law may have been created but do worry about morality
+
*** If parliament enacts shitty legislation, SCC can override it, Common law as well is binding on parliament - helps to create feedback loop that will hopefully maximize utility and moral good.
What is the morality element of section 15 of the charter?
+
***
What is sanction of not following section 15? - sanction of government
 
 
Raz - A claim of authority is justified when the authority actually performs a service for its subjects, helping them really act better (not necessarily but in a way that furthers social, individual good, as through coordinating action) than they would without the benefit of the authorities intervention
 
  
Benefit of the society - organizing social action
+
'''Raz'''
+
According to Raz law claims authority, and is justified when that authority is performing a service for their subjects. In Granovsky the CPP provision is a legitimate benefit to society as it organizes and allocates funds to individuals, who were at one point a benefit to society, but now cannot perform their required work.
They perform a service for the handicaps - people for buy in
 
Can be distinguished between utilitarian stuff
 

Revision as of 09:42, 24 February 2014

Granovski - definite positive

According to Austin, there are three kinds of directives governing humans: God's Law or "revealed" law; positive morality (more commonly referred to as norms); and positive law. The first two categories do not hold the same weight as the last, as Austin articulates that positive law is the main law, and has the most force. Contrarily, God's law and positive morality are more directive.

Within Austin's idea of positive law there are three essential elements of each law: a command; issued by superiors to subordinates; and backed by sanctions. In addition, the law must pass the "pedigree test" - that is it must have been created within the rules of creating a law for the given jurisdiction.

Applying Austin's sentiments to Granovsky it becomes clear that the CPP provision is a valid law.

There is a command: the CPP itself, and more specifically the in question drop-out provision. These commands act to order people to make contributions and act in a certain way otherwise the plan will be of no benefit.

There are valid superior's issuing a law to subordinates as parliament is the recognized authority of Canada and the CPP as it is available for all Canadians. The general public can be said to be the subordinates, however, it is slightly obscure as people are not automatically required to abide by the CPP provisions. The program is a choice, thus people will opt in and out at their choosing. However, this does not change the fact that the public who choose to opt in are subordinates, they are giving money to be in the program and understand that they are expected to follow a certain set of rules in order to be able to benefit from the program.

Law must be “command of the sovereign” Who is the sovereign - federal government enacted CPP People adhere to federal government rules through electing their representatives Once again, people who buy into CPP are subordinating themselves by choice. This is an old case, choice of CPP, nowadays it is taken automatically (for the most part) Either way, still subordinating yourself to the rule - authority of superior

The sanction component of Austin's valid law is satisfied in the threatened penalty. If one chooses to opt in to the CPP but then do not follow the rules you may be denied money. This acts as a sanction as then one does not get to benefit from the fruits of a regulatory regime. *** Does it work in a modern complex society? - awkward application

With final regard given to Austin's "pedigree test" it becomes clear that this law was made in the correct manner. Parliament has the authority to pass laws and it can be assumed it came into being correctly.


Applying these rules to the Charter is slightly problematic. Most notably Austin's view on the superior and subordinate classes becomes problematic as in Canada the Charter is seen as a superior law governing all others. Austin does not agree with this as by his view as long as a law is valid it holds the same force as all other laws. In addition, the idea of a superior and subordinate indicates that the superior is not bound by law, only the subordinate. Therefore, the fact that the Charter applies to all levels of government is also problematic for Austin's view.

Another issue with Austin's view is the role of the judicial branch. According to Austin parliament, and thus legislation, always trump judicial decisions. However, in many cases (including Granovsky) the judge is interpreting legislation and thus gives practical effect to what is inherently superior to their role. Therefore, it could be argued that the judicial and not the legislative branch has the superior status, which is problematic for Granovsky's view. Through this interpretation, the whole decision in Granovsky is suspect as it could be said that the judge is acting outside of his role as subordinate by interpreting legislation.

'HLA Hart: ' Hart organizes law into a primary and secondary category. Primary rules are those that tell the public what they can and cannot do. Secondary rules are regulatory in nature and one can choose whether or not you follow them. Opposing Austin's theory, Hart states that laws do not have to be commands, all it needs to be valid is to be recognized by officials within the system. Officials need to believe that they are obligated to engage in the behaviour and apply the law.

Applying these characteristics to Granovsky it becomes clear that the CPP and the drop-out provision is a secondary law as one can opt into it. Granovsky points out that the CPP is not consistently applied throughout those who choose to opt in, in this sense one could argue that applying these dropout provisions violates too many rights and is therefore invalid. However, as is evident in Granovsky, officials have been engaging in the drop-out provision and are clearly enforcing it. Therefore the CPP satisfies Hart's rule of recognition requirement.

What about s.15 of the Charter? The Charter is the ultimate remedy; it has the ability to change the law, and strike them down. Therefore, it can be classified as a primary rule as in effect, it states what one can and cannot do. Additionally, officials believe they are bound by Charter provisions and thus it satisfies the rule of recognition.


Bentham

According to Bentham, the common good doesn’t matter, maximizing utility matters. In essence, Bentham separates morality and law as he states that laws need only help the most amount of people. Applying this to Granovsky it can be argued that the CPP legislation is in place to effectively help the most amount of people. Although there is the contested drop-out provision, this is to ensure that the limited funds are allocated to those individuals who are in the most vulnerable position.

      • If parliament enacts shitty legislation, SCC can override it, Common law as well is binding on parliament - helps to create feedback loop that will hopefully maximize utility and moral good.

Raz According to Raz law claims authority, and is justified when that authority is performing a service for their subjects. In Granovsky the CPP provision is a legitimate benefit to society as it organizes and allocates funds to individuals, who were at one point a benefit to society, but now cannot perform their required work.