English Public Law

First published in 2004, English Public Law has become the key point of reference on English public law for lawyers in the UK and throughout the world. Now in its second edition, the book acts as an accessible first point of reference for practitioners approaching a public law issue for the first time, while simultaneously providing a lucid, concise and authoritative overview of all the key areas of public law (constitutional, administrative, human rights, and criminal law) within one single portable volume. The second edition has been completely updated to take account of all key legislative and procedural changes since 2004, including: BLThe Constitutional Reform Act 2005 BLrecent higher courts decisions concerning public law and human rights BLthe Criminal Procedure Rules 2005 Written and edited by a team of acknowledged experts on English law, the book offers proven reliability and as part of the Oxford Principles of English Law Series, is the companion volume to the second edition of English Private Law edited by Professor Andrew Burrows FBA. The book is an ideal quick reference for practitioners to fall back on when a client raises a point outside their normal area of expertise as well as for academics, overseas libraries, and practitioners overseas who want a one stop resource on English public law. A supplement published between editions, will ensure that the book is kept up to date.

Public Law is a high quality introductory textbook that comprehensively covers the key topics found on undergraduate public law courses. Three key themes that permeate all of the content allow students to approach the content in a structured and easy to understand way and questions posed throughout the chapters give students the opportunity to provide answers that show how their knowledge has increased as the chapter progresses. The key themes are: -The significance of executive power in the contemporary constitution and the challenge of ensuring that those who wield it are held to account -The shift in recent times from a more political to a more legal constitution and the implications of this change -The increasingly 'multi-layered' character of the British constitution Online Resource Centre Public Law is accompanied by a free, open-access Online Resource Centre (www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/orc/elliott_thomas) which offers the following resources to support students: - Figures from the book reproduced online - A list of useful websites for students - Regularly posted legal and political updates for the book - A testbank of questions for tutors to assess students' progress This book has been highly endorsed by lecturers for level of coverage, accuracy, and the manner in which the three themes provide an excellent backdrop to the book's content. 'I think it will be a very welcome addition to the range of text books available and I suspect that it will become my personal favourite.' - Barbara Mauthe; Lancaster University 'I found the book impressive and likely to be of interest and use to a great many. It is written in a style that is pitched about the right level. It was easy to understand and provides - for me - a good blend of black letter law and socio-political context' - David Mead; University of East Anglia Written by two experienced teachers of the subject, Public Law is an essential new text that focuses on what students need to engage with and understand this challenging subject.

Written in the well-established tradition of the Clarendon Law Series, Public Law offers a stimulating re-interpretation of the central themes and problems of English constitutional law. It offers full consideration of the historical development of public law. This book is an introduction that will be especially appealing to the enquiring student who is looking to reflect critically on the assumptions underpinning the standard presentation of the subject. Written throughout in an engaging and accessible style, Public Law examines the issues of power and accountability that are central to constitutional and administrative law. Among the topics considered are the unwritten nature of the constitution, the changing relationship between the law and the politics of the constitution, the separation of powers, the enduring influence of the crown, the role and functions of Parliament, questions of responsible government, and the law of judicial review and human rights.

A scholarly and accessible examination of key themes, debates and issues in contemporary public law by leading authorities on the subject.

Public law in the UK and EU has undergone seismic changes over the last forty years: development and membership of the EU, the Human Rights Act, devolution, the fostering of public law expertise within the judiciary, the globalization of public law, and the increased interaction between the academy, judiciary, barristers, public interest groups, and legislatures have transformed the public law landscape. Commentators spend much time at the frontiers of the subject, responding rapidly to new developments and providing guidance to scholars, legislators, and judges for future directions. In these circumstances, there is rarely a chance to reflect upon the implications of these changes for the fundamentals of public law and how those fundamentals relate to one another. In this collection, leading figures in UK and EU public law address this lacuna. Inspired by the depth, scope, and ambition of the work of Paul Craig, Professor of English Law at Oxford University, the focus of this collection is upon exploring and reflecting upon six fundamentals of public law and the interrelationship between them: legislation, case law, theory, institutions, process, and constitutions.

A considered balance of depth, detail, context, and critique, Public Law Directions offers the most student-friendly guide to the subject; empowering students to evaluate the law, understand its practical application, and approach assessments with confidence.

Public Law is concerned with the law governing the institutions of the state and the relationship between the state and the individual, and is a core subject for all students reading for a qualifying law degree. This concise, student-friendly guide will help equip students with an understanding of the key aspects of the UK’s political and legal systems as well as building an understanding of the relationship between the different branches of the state such as the executive, legislature and judiciary. Understanding Public Law provides a consideration of the main themes in a logical, progressive manner, highlighting the broader political and social contexts, and focusing on how and why the law has developed as it has. Throughout the text, key terms are identified and explained from the outset, helping students new to the subject familiarize themselves with the vocabulary of public law; chapter outlines and summaries help to focus the reader on the key topics; and a set of self-test questions at the end of each chapter encourage students to consider and reflect on what has been learnt. Understanding Public Law is the ideal introduction to this essential subject.

Foundations of Public Law offers an account of the formation of the discipline of public law with a view to identifying its essential character, explaining its particular modes of operation, and specifying its unique task. Building on the framework first outlined in The Idea of Public Law (OUP, 2003), the book conceives public law broadly as a type of law that comes into existence as a consequence of the secularization, rationalization and positivization of the medieval idea of fundamental law. Formed as a result of the changes that give birth to the modern state, public law establishes the authority and legitimacy of modern governmental ordering. Public law today is a universal phenomenon, but its origins are European. Part I of the book examines the conditions of its formation, showing how much the concept borrowed from the refined debates of medieval jurists. Part II then examines the nature of public law. Drawing on a line of juristic inquiry that developed from the late sixteenth to the early nineteenth centuries-extending from Bodin, Althusius, Lipsius, Grotius, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke and Pufendorf to the later works of Montesquieu, Rousseau, Kant, Fichte, Smith and Hegel-it presents an account of public law as a special type of political reason. The remaining three Parts unpack the core elements of this concept: state, constitution, and government. By taking this broad approach to the subject, Professor Loughlin shows how, rather than being viewed as a limitation on power, law is better conceived as a means by which public power is generated. And by explaining the way that these core elements of state, constitution, and government were shaped respectively by the technological, bourgeois, and disciplinary revolutions of the sixteenth century through to the nineteenth century, he reveals a concept of public law of considerable ambiguity, complexity and resilience.