Legal norms

922
Charles McCarthy

What are legal norms?

Legal norms are those rules that regulate the behavior of a society, in a given space and time, and that carry legal consequences if they are breached. In this sense, the laws, decrees, mandates, or prescriptions of any judicial or legal authority are part of the legal norms..

The legal order of any society is the set of legal norms established in it, and obeys the way that society understands justice, the way to apply it and the institutions it needs to do it. They are stipulated in national constitutions and in the different codes (criminal, civil, commercial, commercial, etc.).

Legal norms evolve over time, and in this sense, they are susceptible to being changed or repealed. Its main objective is to allow, prohibit or force to comply with certain behaviors, and its non-compliance carries penalties.

In countries where the rule of law exists, justice is exercised by people who have been chosen to make the rules, by people responsible for enforcing them, and by people in charge of administering sanctions when the rules are not followed..

Legal norms apply to all individuals in a country, and ignorance on the part of someone does not absolve him of guilt.

Characteristics of legal norms

Legal norms obey certain elements and contain at least 5 characteristics, which we will see below.

They are heteronomous

This means that legal norms are imposed on the individual from outside, from an instance outside of him (for example, the State through its Magna Carta, or the different regulatory codes of behavior in society).

They are bilateral

This means that the whole process involves two parties: who must comply with the standard and who must ensure that it is complied with..

Character of exteriority

In other words, regardless of whether or not we agree with the rules, we are bound by them..

They are coercive

Coercibility is the quality that the rules have of being complied with through the imposition of sanctions. That is, if we do not comply with them, we will receive a punishment.

Although all the norms (religious, social, moral) generate certain sanctions -for example, social repudiation is a consequence of violating social laws-, only legal norms are enforceable from the legal and criminal point of view.

They are general

This means that the character with which the legal norms order must be followed by an undetermined number of people (for example, the Spanish population, or Hungarian, Venezuelan, Mexican, Brazilian, etc.).

That is why it is also said that when the legal norm dictates behavior, it does so in an abstract way..

Types of legal norms

The legal norms are regulated by the judicial authorities of the States

There are several ways in which legal norms can be classified: public or private, mandatory or dispositive norms, depending on whether they are for the whole or for certain classes of people ...

Legal norms based on the collective or individual interest

These first two types of norms are classified according to the collective or individual interest, and whether or not they can be modified by the subjects..

  • Rules of public order

They refer to those norms that arise from the collective interest and the common good, govern the entire territory of a country and involve all individuals, without distinction. They are considered general rules that all people must comply with.

  • Rules of private order

Contracts are regulations made by private individuals (such as lawyers). They are considered as belonging to private law

These are those that are drawn up by people to govern their agreements, such as contracts.

Legal norms based on the will of the subject

  • Mandatory rules

They are those that, as their name indicates, oblige individuals to observe a certain behavior, regardless of the will of the subjects (for example, we are all obliged to comply with the Constitution).

  • Prohibitive rules

They are those that prevent or prohibit individuals from doing something (for example, murder is prohibited in any circumstance).

  • Operative norms

They are those that establish a certain behavior as long as there is no express will to the contrary on the part of the individual.

  • Interpretive norms

They are the norms that interpret legal texts, always based on what the law establishes.

Legal norms as they are dictated for a totality or for a certain class of people

  • Common law rules

They are those that are established for everyone (within a country). For example, civil law laws.

  • Special law rules

They are those that are dictated for a certain group of people, or legal relationships. Special law rules govern specific behaviors, such as commercial or tax law.

Classification according to Herbert A. Hart (1907-1992)

This corresponds to a classification established by the English legal philosopher Herbert Adolphus Hart. Distinguish the norms in primary, secondary and exchange.

  • Primary standards

For him, the primary norms are those that generally regulate human behavior in its entirety: hence they allow, oblige and prohibit.

  • Secondary standards

The secondary ones are those that attribute faculties or powers, depending on different public and private aspects. That is, they do not create obligations but rather attribute powers.

  • Exchange rules

The norms of change are those that establish the way in which the legal norms can be repealed, partially or totally, how they can be modified or how new norms can be introduced.

Examples of legal norms

Examples of legal norms

Examples of legal norms are the following:

-All citizens are free to practice their religions.

-Actions that discriminate against someone based on sex, skin color or religion are prohibited.

-No woman will have to present pregnancy tests at job interviews.

-All citizens must comply with traffic regulations.

-All people have the right to free movement within the national territory.

-Hiring someone with hours longer than those stipulated by law is prohibited.

-It is forbidden to employ minors.

-Stealing is prohibited.

-Murder is forbidden.

-It is forbidden to kidnap people.

-It is forbidden for a person of legal age to have sexual relations with a person who is underage or who does not have the minimum age established for the consent of this act.

-The sale of alcoholic beverages to those who do not have the minimum age established to purchase them is prohibited..

-Drunk driving is prohibited.

-Illegal distribution of film content is prohibited.

-It is a duty to respect the national symbols.

-It is a duty to comply with traffic laws.

-It is a duty to pay taxes. Evasion of these is a crime.

-It is illegal to attempt or end the life of another individual.

-The theft of databases and confidential information of any individual is prohibited.

-The commercialization of exotic animal and plant species is prohibited.

Themes of interest

Social norms.

Moral standards.

Religious norms.

Conventional standards.

Rules of school coexistence.

References

  1. Navarro, P., Moreno, J.J. (nineteen ninety six). Applicability and effectiveness of legal norms. Taken from cervantesvirtual.com.
  2. Legal standard (2020). Taken from sil.gobernacion.gob.mx.
  3. Legal standard (2020). Taken from legal concepts.com.
  4. Legal standard (2020). Taken from es.wikepedia.org.
  5. Legal standard (2020). Taken from economipedia.com.

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