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Prerogative writ

 

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Prerogative writ



 
 
Prerogative writs are a class of writs
Writ

In law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction. In modern usage, this public body is generally a court....
 which originate from English law
English law

English law is the Legal systems of the world of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth of Nations countriesand the United States ....
. Originally they were available only to the Crown
The Crown

Throughout the Commonwealth realms, the Crown is an abstract metonymy concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government....
, but later they were made available to the king's subjects through the courts.

The prerogative writs are:

prerogative writs are a means by which the Crown, acting through its courts, effects control over inferior courts or public authorities throughout the kingdom.






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Encyclopedia


Prerogative writs are a class of writs
Writ

In law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction. In modern usage, this public body is generally a court....
 which originate from English law
English law

English law is the Legal systems of the world of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth of Nations countriesand the United States ....
. Originally they were available only to the Crown
The Crown

Throughout the Commonwealth realms, the Crown is an abstract metonymy concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government....
, but later they were made available to the king's subjects through the courts.

The prerogative writs are:
  • certiorari
    Certiorari

    Certiorari is a legal term in Roman law, English law, and Law of the United States law referring to a type of writ seeking judicial review. Certiorari is the present tense passive voice infinitive of Latin certiorare, ....
  • habeas corpus
    Habeas corpus

    For the Living Things CD, see Habeas Corpus Habeas corpus is a legal action, or writ, through which a person can seek justice from the unlawful detention of him or herself, or of another person....
  • mandamus
    Mandamus

    A writ of mandamus or simply mandamus, which means "we command" in Latin, is the name of one of the prerogative writs in the common law, and is "issued by a superior court to compel a lower court or a government officer to perform mandatory or purely ministerial duties correctly"....
  • prohibition
    Prohibition (writ)

    A writ of prohibition, in the United States, is an official legal document drafted and issued by a supreme court or superior court to a judge presiding over a suit in an inferior court....
  • procedendo
    Procedendo

    In common law jurisprudence, procedendo is one of the prerogative writs. It is a writ that sends a case from an appellate court to a lower court with an order to proceed to judgment....
  • quo warranto
    Quo warranto

    Quo Warranto is one of the prerogative writs, that requires the person to whom it is directed to show what authority he has for exercising some right or power he claims to hold....
  • scire facias
    Scire facias

    In English law, a writ of scire facias was a writ founded upon some judicial record directing the sheriff to make the record known to a specified party, and requiring that defendant to order to show cause why the party bringing the writ should not be able to cite that record in his own interest, or why, in the case of letters patent and...
      (C.J. Antieau, The Practice of Extraordinary Remedies: Habeas Corpus and the Other Common Law Writs, Vol. II, at 802 ("Once known as a prerogative writ, scire facias is now better described as one of the extraordinary writs") (1987)


England and Wales

The prerogative writs are a means by which the Crown, acting through its courts, effects control over inferior courts or public authorities throughout the kingdom. The writs are issued in the name of the Crown, who is the nominal plaintiff
Plaintiff

A plaintiff , also known as a claimant or complainant, is the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy, and if successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the plaintiff and make the appropriate court order ....
, on behalf of the applicant.

The prerogative writs other than habeas corpus
Habeas corpus

For the Living Things CD, see Habeas Corpus Habeas corpus is a legal action, or writ, through which a person can seek justice from the unlawful detention of him or herself, or of another person....
 are discretionary remedies, and have been known as prerogative orders in England and Wales
England and Wales

England and Wales is a legal unit within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom....
 since 1938. The writs of quo warranto and procedendo are now obsolete, and the orders of certiorari, mandamus and prohibition are under the new Civil Procedure Rules 1998
Civil Procedure Rules 1998

The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 are the rules of civil procedure used by the Court of Appeal, High Court of Justice, and County Courts in Civil law in England and Wales....
 known as "quashing orders," "mandatory orders" and "prohibiting orders" respectively.

The writ of habeas corpus is still known by that name.

United States

In the United States federal court system, the issuance of writs is authorised by U.S. Code, Title 28, Section 1651. The language of the statute was left deliberately vague in order to allow the courts flexibility in determining what writs are necessary "in aid of their jurisdiction". Use of writs at the trial court level has been greatly curtailed by the adoption of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are rules governing civil procedure in United States district courts, that is, court procedures for civil suits....
 and its state court
State court

In the United States, a state court has jurisdiction over disputes with some connection to a U.S. state. Cases are heard before and evidence is presented in a trial court, which is usually located in a courthouse in the county seat....
 counterparts, which specify that there is "one form of action".

Nevertheless, the prudent litigator should familiarize himself or herself with the availability of writs in the jurisdiction in which he or she is admitted to practice.

Quo warranto and procedendo are largely obsolete.

Habeas corpus still exists, of course, but its availability has been narrowed over the years at both federal and state levels.

The Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States, and leads the federal United States federal courts. It consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who are nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed with th...
 grants certiorari, while most state supreme court
State supreme court

In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the U.S. state court system.Generally, the state supreme court is exclusively for hearing appeals of legal issues....
s grant review.

Mandamus has been replaced in the United States district court
United States district court

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both Civil law and Criminal law cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, Equity , and admiralty....
s and many state trial courts by injunction
Injunction

An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order, whereby a party is required to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. The party that fails to adhere to the injunction faces civil or criminal penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions for failing to follow the court's order....
. In the federal system, it is generally available only to the federal courts of appeals, which issue writs of mandamus to lower courts and administrative hearing panels, while some state systems still allow trial courts to issue writs of mandamus or mandate directly to government officials.

Prohibition is also generally limited to appellate courts, who use it to prevent lower courts from exceeding their jurisdiction.