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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.21.1.pr-1.21.1.1

Limits on Delegating Jurisdiction and Nature of Imperium

Passage 229 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This passage establishes that specially delegated jurisdictions by law or constitution cannot be redelegated, and analyzes the scope of delegated jurisdiction in relation to pure power (merum imperium).

[PAPINIANUS libro primo quaestionum. ] §1.21.1.prQuaecumque specialiter lege uel senatus consulto uel constitutione principum tribuuntur, mandata iurisdictione non transferuntur: quae uero iure magistratus competunt, mandari possunt.
[PAPINIANUS, Questions, Book 1.] Whatever is specially bestowed by a statute, a decree of the senate, or a constitution of the emperors is not transferred by a delegation of jurisdiction; but those things which belong to a magistrate by the right of his office can be delegated.
et ideo uidentur errare ma||gistratus, qui cum publici iudicii habeant exercitionem lege uel senatus consulto delegatam, ueluti legis Iuliae de adulteriis et si quae sunt aliae similes, iurisdictionem suam mandant.
And therefore those magistrates seem to err who delegate their jurisdiction, although they have the conduct of a public trial delegated to them by a statute or a decree of the senate, such as under the Lex Julia on adulteries and any other similar laws.
huius rei fortissimum argumentum, quod lege Iulia de ui nominatim cauetur, ut is, cui optigerit exercitio, possit eam si proficiscatur mandare: non aliter itaque mandare poterit, quam si abesse coeperit, cum alias iurisdictio etiam a praesente mandetur.
The strongest argument for this is that it is expressly provided by the Lex Julia on violence that the person to whom the conduct of the trial has fallen can delegate it if he departs; he will therefore not be able to delegate it otherwise than if he has begun to be absent, whereas in other cases jurisdiction is delegated even by one who is present.
et si a familia dominus occisus esse dicetur, cognitionem praetor, quam ex senatus consulto habet, mandare non poterit.
And if a master is said to have been killed by his household, the praetor cannot delegate the investigation which he has under a decree of the senate.
§1.21.1.1Qui mandatam iurisdictionem suscepit, proprium nihil habet, sed eius, qui mandauit, iurisdictione utitur.
He who has accepted a delegated jurisdiction has no power of his own, but exercises the jurisdiction of the person who delegated it.
uerius est enim more maiorum iurisdictionem quidem transferri, sed merum imperium quod lege datur non posse transire: quare nemo dicit animaduersionem legatum proconsulis habere mandata iurisdictione.
For it is more correct to hold that, by ancestral custom, jurisdiction indeed is transferred, but pure power which is given by statute cannot pass; therefore no one says that the deputy of a proconsul has the power of punishment by virtue of delegated jurisdiction.
PAULUS notat: et imperium, quod iurisdictioni cohaeret, mandata iurisdictione transire uerius est.
PAULUS notes: it is more correct to hold that even the power which is inherent in jurisdiction passes with the delegation of jurisdiction.

Notes

  1. §1.21.1.prcum ... habeant — The conjunction cum with the subjunctive (habeant) is used here in a concessive sense ('although'). It highlights the error of the magistrates who attempt to delegate their jurisdiction 'although' they only hold the conduct of public trials by special legislative delegation.
  2. §1.21.1.prquod ... cauetur — This is a noun clause introduced by quod, functioning in apposition to explain the content of 'the strongest argument' (fortissimum argumentum). The conjunction quod is used here to mean 'the fact that' or 'that'.
  3. §1.21.1.1iurisdictionem quidem transferri, sed merum imperium ... non posse transire — An accusative with infinitive (ACI) construction functioning as the subject of the impersonal expression 'it is more correct' (uerius est). The contrastive correlatives quidem... sed... balance the transferability of jurisdiction (iurisdictionem transferri) against the non-transferability of pure power (merum imperium non posse transire).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.21.1.pr-1.21.1.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.21.1.pr-1.21.1.1

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