Saturday, 4 June 2011

Non liquet - Roman Law - rem non liquere

"It was however possible, by leave of the magistrate, for the iudex to be released on his swearing 'rem non liquere' in which case a new iudex was appointed, a case of translatio iudicii." W.W. Buckland. A Textbook of Roman Law. 656p.


Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary. Liqueo:


B. In partic.: non liquet, it doth not appear, a legal formula by which the judge declared that he was unable to decide respecting the guilt or innocence of the accused.—Hence also, in gen., it is not evident, it is doubtful: “non liquere dixerunt (judices),Cic. Clu. 28, 76: “cum id de quo Panaetio non liquet, reliquis ejusdem disciplinae solis luce videatur clarius,id. Div. 1, 3, 6: “juravi, mihi non liquere,Gell. 14, 2, 25: “non liquet mihi,Quint. 9, 3, 97.—So, on the contrary, liquet: “cum causam non audisset, dixit sibi liquere,Cic. Caecin. 10, 29: “quid maxime liquere judici velit,Quint. 3, 6, 12: “de quo liquet,id. 3, 6, 35: “si liquebit mundum providentia regi,id. 5, 10, 14: “mirabatur, id. cuiquam pro percepto liquere, stellas istas non esse plures, etc.,Gell. 14, 1, 11.

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