ipl-logo

Common Law In Trinidad And Tobago Essay

1624 Words7 Pages

The twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago has a legal system that is modeled after that of the Common Law System that originated in England. The term ‘legal system’ as a concept is difficult to define as it would involve focusing on the mechanisms used to enforce the law of a particular country as well as the unique features of each individual legal system model as compared to other legal system models . The 1797 loss of Trinidad by Spain to Britain ushered in a change in the socio-political structure of the island, due to the arrival of “lawyers…government officials” that would serve to instigate the replacement of the Spanish Civil Law System with that of English Common Law . This was merely the part of the colonization process which was intended to alter the social, economic and political framework of the country.
The imposition of the Common Law Legal System in Trinidad and Tobago proved to define the legal framework of …show more content…

The first arm of the government, the legislature, is responsible for the creation of laws “for good governance” . This means that this is the branch of the State that is entrusted with representing the general public and therefore should always act to benefit the country’s citizens and protect the rights allotted to them in the Constitution. Trinidad and Tobago’s legislature, or Parliament, is modeled after the Westminster System of Government in Britain. As with the Westminster System, the Members of the Executive are also a part of the Parliament. The features of this system include a de facto executive branch made up of members of the legislature and led by the head of state, a de facto head of government known as the Prime Minister, the presence of opposition parties and an elected legislature, with two houses, of which at least one is

Show More
Related

  • Tituba Exile Court Case Study

    105 Words  | 1 Pages

    An arrest warrant was issued out against for Tituba Indian in Salem Village on February 29, 1692. There were also arrest warrants out for Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. All three of these women were accused of witch craft and examined the day after they were captured. They were examined at Nathaniel Ingersoll’s tavern in the Salem Town. This examination was performed by Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne.

    Read More

  • Texas Pleural Executive Essay

    556 Words  | 3 Pages

    Firstly, in the state of Texas, the legislative branch has the ability to pass and create laws within the state while overseeing and monitoring the execution of these laws. The Texas legislature is among the few state legislatures that meets strictly every two years. Many people consider this branch to be the most powerful of state government in Texas due to its ability to aggressively control activities of the state government. The structure within the legislation is known as the bicameral system. This means there are two sub-branches that make up the legislation known as the State Senate as well as the House of Representatives.

    Read More

  • Philadelphia Convention

    1067 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Constitution of the United States of America all started at the Philadelphia Convention. Called by Alexander Hamilton, the purpose of this convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation. The reason for this is because the central government under this document was very weak, for rebellions were very difficult to put down (such as Shays’ Rebellion), Congress lacked the power to tax and have a standing army, and the state government was extremely overpowered (when compared to the central government). During the convention, the framers realized that this document was almost impossible to revise; it would be much easier to start from scratch. Without official permission from Congress, the framers began to rewrite an outline for the

    Read More

  • Essay On How Did The Constitution Guard Against Tyranny Dbq

    508 Words  | 3 Pages

    The government is separated into three branches: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. The Legislative branch makes the laws and according to Document B by James Madison, consist of a senate and the House of Representatives, which creates congress. The Judicial branch judges if laws are broken and the laws themselves, the Judicial branch is invested in one Supreme Court. The Executive branch, is the branch of government that enforces the laws, this category of government includes the president who can serve two terms of four years each along with the

    Read More

  • Texas Legislative Branch Research Paper

    1973 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Texas Legislative Branch of Government The Texas Constitution divides the state government into three separate: the executive branch, the judicial branch, and the legislative branch. These three branches share equal power within the Texas State governemt. The executive branch is lead by the governor, the judicial branch consists of the Texas Supreme Court and the local courts around the state, finally, the legislative branch, is lead by the Texas Legislature, which includes the 150 members of the house of representatives and the 31 members of the state senate. These members of the house of representatives are elected to two-year terms and Senators serve four-year terms.

    Read More

  • Texas Government Rules

    751 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are different responsibilities and powers of the Texas legislature and many are somewhat difficult to understand for some. However, the Texas Legislature is the dominant branch of state government within the state constitutional framework of separation of powers. The legislature may also at times exercise the state 's inherent police power to

    Read More

  • Texas Political System Essay

    944 Words  | 4 Pages

    The legislative branch naturally reflects the democratic form of government. However, all three branches are considered weak, but compared to the three branches of the Texas state government, the legislative branch is less weak and the most powerful because of the broad authority it has been given. (laits.utexas.edu). According to the (tsha.utexas.edu) “Under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the legislature, as representative of the people of Texas, exercises plenary powers, limited only by the Texas and United States constitutions and valid federal laws. The legislature may exercise the state 's inherent police power to promote and safeguard the public safety, health, morals, and welfare; and, by nineteenth century judicial interpretation, is superior to local governments, which are regarded as "creatures of the state.

    Read More

  • Explain The Three Branches Of The Texas Constitution

    807 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Texas Constitution has three branches of government, the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. Every branch is responsible for certain duties that make this state run smoothly. If I could change one thing about each of the three branches, what would it be and why? The legislative branch is the branch that is in charge of making the laws, and it is by law that government define crime, establish the basis of civil suits, determine what will be taxed and who will pay how much in taxes, and set up government programs and the agencies that administer them.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast A Large Republic Vs Small Republic

    1337 Words  | 6 Pages

    In a large republic, the weaker parts of government are strengthened and the stronger parts of the government are weakened. Due to the fact of the legislative branch inherently being the most powerful, the Constitution imposed this branch being separated to the Senate and the House of Representatives with each separation having different criteria. These branches are also separated from each other because they all have different election methods. The executive branch has its elections differently from that of the legislative branch which includes the Senate and House of Representatives. The judicial branch and the Supreme Court are also

    Read More

  • Advantages Of The Westminster System Of Government

    1131 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Westminster system of government comprises of a democratically elected lower house. After the executive members the head of government is the prime minister. The next system that falls in place is the opposition which is led by the leader of the party or the parties with the second largest number of seats in the lower house. It follows that in the British system the prime minister and the cabinets are fully in charge of Parliament.

    Read More

  • What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Separation Of Powers

    1584 Words  | 7 Pages

    The branches of government are: (a) The Legislature: makes the law (The People’s Majlis –Article 5 and Article 70(a)) (b) The Executive: implements the law (The President and the independent commissions –Article 6- ) (c) The

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Common Law System

    1268 Words  | 6 Pages

    [5] Common law works in a different way, the judges rather than the Parliament make common law or ‘judge-made law’. Considering criminal and civil cases, the judges take decisions based on the stare decisis principle (Latin “to stand by things decided”, the legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent [4]), deliver rulings and create precedents, thus applying the law to real life situations. Therefore, the value of the precedent is very high in the English Common Law system. The strengths of common law

    Read More

  • Personal Reflection On Law: A Personal Study Of Law

    975 Words  | 4 Pages

    The law is an intriguing concept, evolving from society’s originalities and moral perspectives. By participating in the legal system, we may endeavour to formulate a link between our own unique beliefs and the world in which we live. Evidently, a just sense of legality is a potent prerequisite for change, enabling society to continue its quest for universal equality and justice. Aristotle once stated that "even when laws have been written down, they ought not to remain unaltered".

    Read More

  • Different Types Of Government Essay

    1511 Words  | 7 Pages

    In order to compare and contrast varying types of government within two or more countries, one must have a clear definition of Government and know the purposes it serves. Therefore, I did some research and I have established that Government is a group that exercises dominant power over a nation, state, society or other body of people. Governments are commonly responsible for constructing and implementing laws, handling money, and defending the general population from external threats, and may have other obligations or privileges. All over the world, there are many different types of government within countries. Each kind has its advantages as well as disadvantages regarding the general well-being of its peoples and economy.

    Read More

  • The Advantages And Disadvantages Of A Parliamentary Government

    944 Words  | 4 Pages

    Secondly, the parliamentary executives, the cabinet minister and the Prime Minister, share responsibilities. Therefore, the parliament is “jointly responsible for the actions of the government…primus inter pares (first among equals)”. (Haywood, 2007, p. 95) Lastly, a typical feature of the parliamentary system is that the offices of the Head of State and the Head of the Government remain separate from each other. Union is a key feature of the parliamentary governments worldwide.

    Read More

More about Common Law In Trinidad And Tobago Essay

Open Document