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Decree is an order by a head of state or government that has the force of law. In some countries, other words are used for such orders; one example is the executive orders of the president of the United States. The word decree is often used as a derogative term for any authoritarian decision. See also rule by decree.
Imperial Decree An imperial decree is a decree issued by a sovereign ruler, such as an emperor, king, or similarly styled person. Imperial decrees from monarchial times differ from decrees issued by heads of state in modern democracies in that they embodied a force of law that was subject to no limitations either by other branches of government, or through the democratic process. France See Government of France. The word decree (décret) is used as a legal term to describe the most important executive decisions from the President or Prime Minister of France. Those decisions must conform to the Constitution and statutes of France, and it is possible to sue for their cancellation in the Conseil d'État. They require ratification by the Parliament to be changed into laws. Decree-laws, usually considered an illegal practice under the 3rd and 4th Republic, were finally replaced by the ordinance procedure since the 1958 constitution. Outside of the exceptional reserve powers of the President (as stated in Art 16 of the 1958 constitution, exercised only once so far), the executive can issue decrees in areas that the Constitution grants to the responsibility of Parliament only if the a law authorizes it to do so. In other cases, the decrees are illegal and will be cancelled by the Conseil d'État, should somebody sue. There exists a procedure for the Prime Minister to issue ordinances in such areas, but this procedure requires the expressed consent of Parliament (see Art 38 of the 1958 constitution). Decrees of the Prime Minister are of the two following kinds: Sometimes, people refer to décrets en Conseil d'État improperly as décrets du Conseil d'État. This would imply that it is the Conseil d'État that takes the decree, whereas the power of decreeing is restricted to the President or Prime Minister; the role of the administrative sections of the Conseil is purely advisory. Decrees may be classified into: Decrees are published in the Journal Officiel de la République Française. Other uses of the term In some jurisdictions, certain types of court orders by judges are referred to as decrees. See also | ||||||||
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