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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.21.3.pr

Delegated Jurisdiction as Acting for the Delegator

Passage 231 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It is explained that anyone exercising delegated jurisdiction, even if they hold the rank of praetor, acts not by virtue of their own imperium but on behalf of the delegator.

[IULIANUS libro quinto digestorum. ] §1.21.3.prEt si praetor sit is, qui alienam iurisdictionem exsequitur, non tamen pro suo imperio agit, sed pro eo cuius mandatu ius dicit, quotiens partibus eius fungitur.
[JULIANUS, Digest, Book 5.] And even if he who exercises another's jurisdiction is a praetor, nevertheless, whenever he performs the other's duties, he does not act by virtue of his own imperium, but on behalf of him by whose delegation he administers justice.

Notes

  1. §1.21.3.prsit — The subjunctive present with 'si' expresses a concessive condition ('even if...'). It emphasizes that even a praetor, who normally possesses high imperium, is no exception when exercising delegated jurisdiction.
  2. §1.21.3.prpro eo — While 'pro' in the preceding 'pro suo imperio' means 'by virtue of' or 'in accordance with', 'pro' in 'pro eo' means 'on behalf of' or 'in the place of'. 'eo' is the antecedent of the relative pronoun 'cuius'.
  3. §1.21.3.prpartibus — The ablative 'partibus' is used as the object of the deponent verb 'fungitur' (to perform/discharge). The plural 'partes' here means 'duties', 'office', or 'role'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.21.3.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.21.3.pr

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