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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.3.12.pr

Analogy of Law to Similar Cases Not Expressly Covered

Passage 31 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It is stated that since laws and senatorial decrees cannot cover every individual case, the magistrate presiding over the jurisdiction must extend the law to similar cases when the intent of the rules is clear.

[IDEM libro XV digestorum. ] §1.3.12.prNon possunt omnes articuli singillatim aut legibus aut senatus consultis compraehendi: sed cum in aliqua causa sententia eorum manifesta est, is qui iurisdictioni praeest ad similia procedere atque ita ius dicere debet.
[THE SAME on the Digest, Book XV] It is impossible for all individual cases to be comprehended singly either by laws or by decrees of the senate; but when in any case their intention is clear, he who presides over the jurisdiction ought to proceed to similar cases and thus declare the law.

Notes

  1. §1.3.12.preorum — A genitive plural referring back to the preceding phrase `legibus aut senatus consultis` (laws or decrees of the senate), meaning "their [intention/spirit]".
  2. §1.3.12.pris qui iurisdictioni praeest — The pronoun `is`, the subject of the main clause, is modified by the relative clause `qui iurisdictioni praeest`. Since the compound verb `praeesum` governs the dative, `iurisdictioni` is in the dative case. The whole phrase refers to "the one who presides over the jurisdiction" (such as a praetor).
  3. §1.3.12.prad similia — The neuter plural accusative `similia` of the adjective `similis` is used substantively with the preposition `ad`, meaning "to similar cases." This expresses the concept of analogical application of the law.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.3.12.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.3.12.pr

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