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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §26.5.8.pr-26.5.8.3

Non-Delegability and Invalidity of Appointments

Passage 3810 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section rules on the non-delegability of the power to appoint a guardian, the invalidity of appointments made by magistrates in a state of madness, the days allowed for appointments, and the appointment of guardians or curators for specific disabled individuals.

[IDEM libro octauo de omnibus tribunalibus. ] §26.5.8.prNec mandante praeside alius tutorem dare poterit.
[THE SAME, from the eighth book on all tribunals.] Nor can anyone else appoint a guardian, even by mandate of the governor.
§26.5.8.1Si praetor uel praeses prouinciae in furore aut dementia constitutus dederit tutorem, non puto ualere: quamuis enim praetor uel praeses sit nec furor ei magistratum abroget, attamen datio nullius erit momenti.
If a praetor or a provincial governor, being in a state of madness or insanity, should appoint a guardian, I do not think it is valid; for although he is still praetor or governor, and madness does not deprive him of his magistracy, nevertheless the appointment will be of no effect.
§26.5.8.2Dari tutor omni die poterit.
A guardian can be appointed on any day.
§26.5.8.3Furioso et furiosae et muto et surdo tutor uel curator a praetore uel praeside dari poterit.
A guardian or a curator can be appointed by the praetor or the governor for a madman, a madwoman, a mute, and a deaf person.

Notes

  1. §26.5.8.prmandante praeside — An ablative absolute with a present participle. In correlation with the negative nec at the beginning of the sentence, it expresses a concessive condition: "even if the governor delegates/commands, no one else can...". This shows that the public jurisdiction of appointing a guardian cannot, in principle, be delegated.
  2. §26.5.8.1non puto ualere — An accusative with infinitive construction (oratio obliqua), where the subject accusative of the infinitive ualere (such as id referring to the act of appointing a guardian) is omitted. The verb puto expresses Ulpian's legal opinion ("I think that...").
  3. §26.5.8.1nullius erit momenti — A genitive of quality or value. Used predicatively with the copula (erit) to mean "it will be of no importance/force," i.e., "it will be entirely invalid."

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §26.5.8.pr-26.5.8.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:26.5.8.pr-26.5.8.3

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