行政官

解説

付記

月の民「では、君たちの議会が法律を通すと、 すぐに最高裁判所で憲法適合かどうか審査されるのか？」 地の民「いや、そうではない。 法律はまず大統領が承認すれば即座に施行される。 そして何年も経ったあと、 誰かがそれによって被害を受けたとき―― つまり依頼人が不満を訴えたとき―― 初めて裁判所に持ち込まれるのだ」 月の民「なるほど、執行権が立法の一部なのだな。 では警官が条例を執行するときも 承認しなければならないのか？」 地の民「いや、少なくとも巡査としてはまだそこまでは。 だが概して、法律は拘束される者自身の承認を必要とするのだ」 月の民「わかった。つまり死刑執行令状は、 殺人者が署名して初めて有効になるわけだな」 地の民「強すぎる表現だ、そこまで一貫してはいない」 月の民「しかし長年施行されたあとに、 しかも私人の訴えによってのみ、 裁判所がその有効性を審査する―― これは大混乱を招くのでは？」 地の民「招く」 月の民「ならば大統領ではなく、 最高裁長官の署名で 法律を有効とすべきではないか？」 地の民「前例がない」 月の民「前例？　それは何だ？」 地の民「五百人の弁護士が、三巻ずつ著書を書いて定義している。 だから誰にもわからんのだ」

管理人コメント

Original

An officer of the Government, whose duty it is to enforce the wishes of the legislative power until such time as the judicial department shall be pleased to pronounce them invalid and of no effect. Following is an extract from an old book entitled, The Lunarian Astonished—Pfeiffer & Co., Boston, 1803:

Additional notes

LUNARIAN: Then when your Congress has passed a law it goes directly to the Supreme Court in order that it may at once be known whether it is constitutional? TERRESTRIAN: O no; it does not require the approval of the Supreme Court until having perhaps been enforced for many years somebody objects to its operation against himself—I mean his client. The President, if he approves it, begins to execute it at once. LUNARIAN: Ah, the executive power is a part of the legislative. Do your policemen also have to approve the local ordinances that they enforce? TERRESTRIAN: Not yet—at least not in their character of constables. Generally speaking, though, all laws require the approval of those whom they are intended to restrain. LUNARIAN: I see. The death warrant is not valid until signed by the murderer. TERRESTRIAN: My friend, you put it too strongly; we are not so consistent. LUNARIAN: But this system of maintaining an expensive judicial machinery to pass upon the validity of laws only after they have long been executed, and then only when brought before the court by some private person—does it not cause great confusion? TERRESTRIAN: It does. LUNARIAN: Why then should not your laws, previously to being executed, be validated, not by the signature of your President, but by that of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? TERRESTRIAN: There is no precedent for any such course. LUNARIAN: Precedent. What is that? TERRESTRIAN: It has been defined by five hundred lawyers in three volumes each. So how can any one know?