Common Law Theory. Douglas E. Edlin is an assistant professor of political science at Dickinson College.

Transcription

1 Common Law Theory In this book, legal scholars, philosophers, historians, and political scientists from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States analyze the common law through three of its classic themes: rules, reasoning, and constitutionalism. Their essays, specially commissioned for this volume, provide an opportunity for thinkers from different jurisdictions and disciplines to talk to one another and to their wider audience within and beyond the common law world. This book allows scholars and students to consider how these themes and concepts relate to one another. It will initiate and sustain a more inclusive and well-informed theoretical discussion of the common law s method, process, and structure. It will be valuable to lawyers, philosophers, political scientists, and historians interested in constitutional law, comparative law, judicial process, legal theory, law and society, legal history, separation of powers, democratic theory, political philosophy, the courts, and the relationship of the common law tradition to other legal systems of the world. Douglas E. Edlin is an assistant professor of political science at Dickinson College.

2 Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Law general editor: gerald postema (university of north carolina, chapel hill) advisory board Jules Coleman (Yale Law School) Antony Duff (University of Stirling) David Lyons (Boston University) Neil MacCormick (University of Edinburgh) Stephen R. Munzer (U.C.L.A. Law School) Phillip Pettit (Princeton University) Joseph Raz (University of Oxford) Jeremy Waldron (Columbia Law School) Some other books in the series: Larry Alexander (ed.): Constitutionalism Larry Alexander: Is There a Right of Freedom of Expression? Peter Benson (ed.): The Theory of Contract Law: New Essays Steven J. Burton: Judging in Good Faith Steven J. Burton (ed.): The Path of the Law and Its Influence: The Legacy of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Jules Coleman: Risks and Wrongs Jules Coleman and Allan Buchanan (eds.): In Harm s Way: Essays in Honor of Joel Feinberg R. A. Duff (ed.): Philosophy and the Criminal Law William Edmundson: Three Anarchial Fallacies: An Essay on Political Authority John Fischer and Mark Ravizza: Responsibility and Control R. G. Frey and Christopher W. Morris (eds.): Liability and Responsibility: Essays in Law and Morals Steven A. Hetcher: Norms in a Wired World Heidi M. Hurd: Moral Combat Jody S. Kraus and Steven D. Walt (eds.): The Jurisprudential Foundations of Corporate and Commercial Law Christopher Kutz: Complicity: Ethics and Law for a Collective Age Timothy Macklem: Beyond Comparison: Sex and Discrimination Larry May: Crimes Against Humanity: A Normative Account Stephen R. Munzer: A Theory of Property Arthur Ripstein: Equality, Responsibility and the Law R. Schopp: Justification Defenses and Just Convictions W. J. Waluchow: A Common Law Theory of Judicial Review: The Living Tree Larry Laudan: Truth, Error, and Criminal Law: An Essay in Legal Epistemology

3 Common Law Theory Edited by Douglas E. Edlin Dickinson College

4 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY , USA Information on this title: c Cambridge University Press 2007 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2007 Printed in the United States of America A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Common law theory / edited by Douglas E. Edlin. p. cm. (Cambridge studies in philosophy and law) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: (hardback) ISBN-10: (hardback) 1. Common law Philosophy. 2. Constitutional law. I. Edlin, Douglas E. II. Title. III. Series. K588.C dc ISBN hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

5 Contents List of Contributors Table of Cases page ix xi Introduction 1 douglas e. edlin common law rules 1. Judges as Rule Makers 27 larry alexander and emily sherwin 2. Some Types of Law 51 john gardner common law reasoning 3. The Principles of Legal Reasoning in the Common Law 81 melvin a. eisenberg 4. A Similibus ad Similia: Analogical Thinking in Law 102 gerald j. postema 5. Reasoned Decisions and Legal Theory 134 david dyzenhaus and michael taggart common law constitutionalism 6. Natural Law, Common Law, and the Constitution 171 james r. stoner jr. 7. Text, Context, and Constitution: The Common Law as Public Reason 185 t. r. s. allan 8. The Myth of the Common Law Constitution 204 jeffrey goldsworthy Index 237

6 Contributors larry alexander is Warren Distinguished Professor of Law, University of San Diego. t. r. s. allan is Professor of Public Law and Jurisprudence, Cambridge University, and Fellow of Pembroke College. david dyzenhaus is Professor of Law and Philosophy, University of Toronto. douglas e. edlin is Assistant Professor of Political Science, Dickinson College. melvin a. eisenberg is Koret Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley. john gardner is Professor of Jurisprudence, Oxford University, and Fellow of University College. jeffrey goldsworthy is Professor of Law, Monash University. gerald j. postema is Cary C. Boshamer Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. emily sherwin is Professor of Law, Cornell University. james r. stoner jr. is Professor of Political Science, Louisiana State University. michael taggart is Alexander Turner Professor of Law, University of Auckland.

7 Table of Cases Australia Beale v. Government Insurance Office of New South Wales, (1997) 48 N.S.W.L.R. 430 page 146 Housing Commission of NSW v. Tatmar Pastoral Co Pty Ltd., [1983] 3 N.S.W.L.R Public Service Board of New South Wales v. Osmond, (1986) 159 C.L.R ,146 Re Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, ex parte Palme, (2003) 216 C.L.R Soulemezis v. Dudley (Holdings) Pty Ltd., (1987) 10 N.S.W.L.R Canada Baker v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship & Immigration), (1999) 174 D.L.R. (4th) MacDonald v. R., [1977] 2 S.C.R R. v. Burns, [1994] 1 S.C.R R. v. Sheppard, (2002) 210 D.L.R. (4th) Commonwealth Caribbean Agui v. Pooran Maharaj, (1983) 34 W.I.R. 282 (Trinidad & Tobago) 145 Alexander v. Williams, (1984) 34 W.I.R. 340 (Trinidad & Tobago) 145 John (Nathaniel) v. R., (1994) 47 W.I.R. 122 (Eastern Caribbean States) 145 R. v. Simpson, R. v. Powell, [1993] 3 L.R.C. 631 (Jamaica) 145 Sharma v. Antoine, [2006] UKPC 57 (Trinidad & Tobago) 145

8 xii Table of Cases New Zealand Murphy v. Rodney District Council, [2004] 3 N.Z.L.R R. v. Awatere, [1982] 1 N.Z.L.R R. v. MacPherson, [1982] 1 N.Z.L.R R. v. Taito, [2003] 3 N.Z.L.R United Kingdom Beamish v. Beamish, (1861) 9 HLC Cedeno v. Logan, [2001] 1 WLR Chaplin v. Boys, [1971] AC Clark v. Chambers, (1878) 3 Q.B.D Cleaver v. Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, [1892] 1 QB Dad v. General Dental Council, [2000] 1 WLR Davis v. Johnson, [1979] AC Dixon v. Bell, (1816) 2 Maule & Selwyn s ,105 Donoghue v. Stevenson, [1932] AC ,90,92 Dr. Bonham s Case, (1610) 8 Co. Rep. 107a, 77 Eng. Rep ,192,208 Eyre and Strahan v. Carman, (Exch. 1781) 142 Flannery v. Halifax Estate Agencies Ltd., [2000] 1 All ER ,147,149,150 Guppys (Bridport) Ltd. v. Sandoe, (1975) 30P&CR Heydon s Case, (1584) 3 Co. Rep. 7a, 76 Eng. Rep Home Office v. Dorset Yacht Co. Ltd., [1970] AC ,126 In re Spectrum Plus Ltd., [2005] UKHL 41, [2005] 2 AC International Transport Roth GmbH v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2003] QB The King v. Inhabitants of Ripon, (1733) 2 W. Kel. 295, 25 Eng. Rep London Tramways v. London County Council, [1898] AC McKerry v. Teesdale & Wear Valley Justices, (2000) 164 Justice of the Peace Miller v. Race, (1758) 1 Burr. 452, 97 Eng. Rep Mousaka Inc. v. Golden Seagull Maritime Inc., [2002] 1 WLR Nana Osei Assibey III v. Nana Kwasi Agyeman, [1952] 2 All ER Overseas Tankship (U.K.) Ltd. v. Morts Dock & Engineering Co. Ltd. (The Wagon Mound), [1961] AC Pepper (Inspector of Taxes) v. Hart, [1993] AC R. v. A. (Sexual Offence: Complainant s Sexual History), [2001] UKHL 25, [2002] 1 AC

9 Table of Cases xiii R. (on the application of McGowan) v. Brent Justices, (2002) 166 Justice of the Peace R. v. Drew, [2003] UKHL 25, [2003] 4 All ER R. v. Harrow Crown Court, ex parte Dave, [1994] 1 WLR R. v. Higher Funding Council, ex parte Institute of Dental Surgery, [1994] 1 WLR R. v. Ministry of Defence, ex parte Smith, [1996] QB R. v. Nat Bell Liquors, Ltd., [1922] 2 AC R. v. Offen, [2001] 1 WLR R. v. Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, ex parte Spath Holme Ltd., [2001] 2 AC R. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Doody, [1994] 1 AC R. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Pierson, [1998] AC R. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Simms, [2000] 2 AC ,195,196 R. (Wooder) v. Feggetter, [2003] QB Re Polemis and Furness, Withy & Co., Ltd., [1921] All ER 40, [1921] 3 KB Re Sigsworth, [1935] Ch Red Sea Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Bouygues S.A., [1995] 1 AC Schmidt v. Secretary of State for Home Affairs, [1969] 2 Ch Sheppard v. Gosnold, (1672) Vaugh 159, 124 Eng. Rep Stefan v. General Medical Council, [1999] 1 WLR Thomas v. Sorrell, (1677) Vaugh 330, 124 Eng. Rep Three Rivers District Council v. Governor and Company of The Bank of England (No. 3), [2001] UKHL 16, [2003] 2 AC 1, United States Bell v. Thompson, 545 U.S. 794 (2005) 1 Bennett v. Bennett, 116 N.Y. 584, 23 N.E. 17 (1889) Devlin v. Smith, 89 N.Y. 470 (1882) 90,91 Houston v. Williams, 13 Cal. 24 (1859) 137 Hynes v. New York Central Railroad Co., 231 N.Y. 229, 131 N.E. 898 (1921) 106,124 Hynes v. New York Central Railroad Co., 188 A.D. 178, 176 N.Y.S. 795 (2d Dept. 1919) 124 Javins v. First National Realty Corporation, 428 F.2d 1071 (D.C. Cir. 1970) 104 Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003) 184

10 xiv Table of Cases Lochner v. New York, 198 U.S. 45 (1905) 178,179 Loop v. Litchfield, 42 N.Y. 351 (1870) 90,92 Losee v. Clute, 51 N.Y. 494 (1873) 90,92 MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co., 217 N.Y. 382, 111 N.E (1916) 89,91,94 Moragne v. States Marine Lines, 398 U.S. 375 (1970) 104 Navigazione Libera Triestina Societa Anonima v. Newtown Creek Towing Co., 98 F.2d 694 (2d Cir. 1938) 129,130 Ogden v. Saunders, 25 U.S. 213 (1827) 178 Oppenheim v. Kridel, 236 N.Y. 156, 140 N.E. 227 (1923) 99,100 Osborn v. Wilson & Co., 193 N.Y.S. 241 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1922) 103 Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992) 178 Ploof v. Putnam, 81 Vt. 471, 71 A. 188 (1908) 100 Riggs v. Palmer, 115 N.Y. 506, 22 N.E. 188 (1889) Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996) 184 Schwartzreich v. Bauman-Basch, Inc., 231 N.Y. 196, 131 N.E. 887 (1921) 95 Slaughter-House Cases, 83 U.S. 36 (1873) 178 Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944) 157 Statler v. George A. Ray Manufacturing Co., 195 N.Y. 478, 88 N.E (1909) 91 Taylor v. McKeithen, 407 U.S. 191 (1980) 137 Thomas v. Winchester, 6 N.Y. 397 (1852) 90,91,93 United States v. Strickland, 144 F.3d 412 (6th Cir. 1998) 103 United States v. White, 401 U.S. 745 (1971) 124