Legal Definitions - delegation

Delegation refers to the act of entrusting another person or entity with authority or responsibility, or it can refer to a group of individuals chosen to represent a larger body.

• 1. The act of entrusting authority or responsibility: This occurs when someone with a particular power or duty assigns that power or duty to another person or group to act on their behalf.

  • Example: A CEO of a technology company might delegate the task of negotiating a new software licensing agreement to the Vice President of Legal Affairs. The CEO still holds ultimate responsibility for the company's contracts but empowers the VP to handle the specific negotiations and finalize the terms.

    Explanation: Here, the CEO, who possesses the ultimate authority over company agreements, transfers the specific responsibility and power to negotiate and conclude the licensing deal to the Vice President. This illustrates the entrusting of a specific duty and the authority to execute it.

  • Example: A state legislature might delegate the power to set specific environmental regulations for local waterways to a specialized state environmental protection agency. The legislature establishes the broad legal framework, but the agency is given the authority to create detailed rules and enforce them.

    Explanation: In this scenario, the legislature, which holds the primary law-making power, transfers a specific regulatory authority to the agency. The agency then acts on behalf of the legislature within the defined scope, creating and enforcing rules that carry the weight of law.

• 2. A group of representatives: This refers to a collection of people who have been chosen to speak or act for a larger group, organization, or area.

  • Example: At a national political convention, a delegation from each state casts votes for their preferred presidential candidate. Each state's delegation is composed of individuals chosen to represent the voters of that state.

    Explanation: This example illustrates "delegation" as a collective body. The group of individuals from each state acts as the authorized representatives for their state's voters, conveying their collective will and participating in the nomination process on their behalf.