Public law basics

What’s public law

Law and rules of governing state. Relations within government and between government and the people

What’s constitutional law

Framework of rules and practices for government, establishes the system of government

What does constitutional law establish

Who has power and authority

How power is controlled and divided

How power should be exercised and through which process

Relationship between branches of government

Relationship between state and citizens

Administrative law

Body of law which ensures that public bodies act lawfully and dont abuse their power. Protects RoL and constitutional arrangements

Executives

Governments: UK, Welsh, Scottish, NI, local authorities

Legislature

UK, welsh, Scottish, Scottish, NI parliament

Judiciary

The courts

Monarch

Most powerful institution

Do executive, legislature and judiciary have equal power?

Yes

Functions of the crown

Open and close parliament

Selects members of the upper chamber of parliament ; House of Lords

Appoints justices of Supreme Court

Appoints pm and executives as a whole

Grants/witholds royal assent to bills passed by parliament

Who elects lower chamber of parliament (house of commons)?

Public

Statutes

Acts of parliaemnt. Acts of devolved parliament

Common law

Case law developed by judiciary

Constitutional conventions

Non legal norms and principles which regulates relationships between institutions

Rule of law

Everyone is bound by the law

Parliamentary sovereignty

Act of parliament is the highest form of law in the UK. They have unlimited legal power and the acts cannot be challenged by courts. They can amend any aspect of constitutional agreement

Separation of powers

Powers of the state and allocated between 3 institutions to stop 1 institution having all the power