Time Matters: How Time Shapes Law and Regulation

S.Ranchordas & Y. Roznai (eds), Time, Law, and Change: An Interdisciplinary Study (Hart, 2020) (forthcoming)

University of Groningen Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 37/2019

16 Pages Posted: 29 Aug 2019 Last revised: 16 Oct 2019

See all articles by Sofia Ranchordas

Sofia Ranchordas

Tilburg University; Libera Universita Internazionale degli Studi Sociali

Yaniv Roznai

Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya - Radzyner School of Law

Date Written: August 10, 2019

Abstract

Law is often taught, researched, and applied as a linear reality that is not subject to significant alterations.Several constitutions, for example, include various procedural, temporal and substantive limitations to constitutional change, and yet empirical data suggests that flexible constitutions (up to a certain point) actually tend to endure longer than extremely rigid constitutions. Technology is also reshaping legal obligations and asking legislators to rethink the pace at which laws are enacted. The ideas of time as a given variable in law or a linear or reactive view of law tend to be thus oversimplifications of reality. This chapter introduces an interdisciplinary book project that aims to offer an overview of the different ways in which time influences law. This book analyzes the relationship between time, law, and change from four perspectives: that of scholars who have studied the theoretical impact of time on legal interpretation, constitutional change, and lawmaking as such; judges who try to balance the need to accommodate change with the principle of legal certainty and legitimate expectations; legislators who are often required to legislate fast or adopt temporary legislation to respond to social demands or under the pretext of improving the quality of legislation; and the perspective of technology that is giving rise to new challenges in the legal context.

Keywords: temporary legislation; constitutional change; sunset clauses; legal certainty; experimental legislation; future-proof

JEL Classification: K10; K40

Suggested Citation

Ranchordas, Sofia and Roznai, Yaniv, Time Matters: How Time Shapes Law and Regulation (August 10, 2019). S.Ranchordas & Y. Roznai (eds), Time, Law, and Change: An Interdisciplinary Study (Hart, 2020) (forthcoming), University of Groningen Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 37/2019, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3442785 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3442785

Sofia Ranchordas (Contact Author)

Tilburg University ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
Tilburg, DC Noord-Brabant 5000 LE
Netherlands

Libera Universita Internazionale degli Studi Sociali ( email )

Rome
Italy

Yaniv Roznai

Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya - Radzyner School of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 167
Herzliya, 46150
Israel

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