Rule Of Law

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Name: KESHI MATTHEW Assignment: Nigeria recent democracy has been marred with inconsistencies and wanton deviancies to the principle of Rule of Law. How do we right this wrong? The Rule of Law: Contrasting Principles Much of what Nigeria consider being the rule of law is derived from Anglo-Saxon legal traditions. But there are many variations in how different countries organize legal and political institutions and apply the rule of law. These differences can often be confusing when talking about basic principles. For example, the American and British principles of "innocent until proven guilty," the right not to incriminate oneself, and the right to be tried by a jury of one's peers are so deeply ingrained in the fabric of the law and society that they might be considered absolute principles. Yet the rest of Europe, most of which follows a Roman law tradition, does not operate by any of these tenets. Principles of the French system, such as the assumption of guilt or the legality of indefinite periods of incarceration, violate the American and British standards of justice. Furthermore, the many violations by modern democracies of their own rule of law principles justify the questioning of its absolute validity. The Rule of Law: Common Definitions Still, the adoption and practice of basic principles of the rule of law are clear barometers for any democracy. Apparent contradictions in principle or practice do not negate the rule of law's overall importance. The awful consequences of the breakdown of the rule of law in dictatorships, make its importance self-evident. In democratic societies, deviations from the principles of the rule of law, such as slavery and systematic discrimination in the Nigeria, or the unequal treatment of women historically, serve as powerful arguments for the fulfillment of those principles. Thus, while there is no set definition of the
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