Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Parliamentary law, also known as parliamentary procedure, is a set of rules and traditions that govern how meetings and assemblies are conducted. It includes basic principles and practices that are commonly understood among members of a group, and can be found in parliamentary manuals. These rules are binding unless the group adopts special rules that vary from the general parliamentary law. Parliamentary law is based on precedents of legislative and administrative bodies, and is subject to the same rules of reasoning as established common law rules.
Definition: Parliamentary law refers to the set of rules and precedents that govern the proceedings of legislative bodies and other deliberative assemblies. It is also known as parliamentary procedure.
For example, in a meeting of a student council, parliamentary law would dictate how the members should conduct themselves, how they should make decisions, and how they should vote on proposals. These rules and procedures are based on established practices and customs that have been developed over time.
Parliamentary law is considered to be a form of law because it is binding within all assemblies, except when special rules are adopted that vary from the general parliamentary law. It is also based on precedents of legislative and administrative bodies, and is subject to the same rules of reasoning as the application of established common law rules to new legal situations.
When a deliberative assembly has not adopted any rules, it is commonly understood to hold itself bound by the rules and customs of the general parliamentary law, or common parliamentary law. This means that members of the assembly should follow the basic principles and practices of parliamentary law that are commonly understood among them based on their experience in other deliberative assemblies.