法律英语-何家弘(19)

If a precedent of the latter type is in fact unpersuasive, the judge 2.直到本世纪，这一法律传统最著名的例外就是“反欺诈行为法”的制定，它首先制定于英格兰，然后，在

is free to disregard it.

5.在后一种情况下，这个先例实际上不具有“约束性”，法官就可以不考虑他而自由裁判。

If the precedent is not merely persuasive, but binding, it cannot simply be ignored.

6.如果先例不仅是建议性的，而且是无效的，它就不能被简单地忽略掉。

It may, however, be avoided.

7.而是可以被省略掉，排除在法官的考虑范畴之外。

If the facts of the present case do not include a fact that appears to have been necessary (“material”) to the earlier decision, the court may “distinguish” the precedent and render a different decision.

8.如果目前的预判案件与先例不具有本质上的一致性或必要性，法院会把这个案件与先例区别开来，做出不同的判决。

If the earlier precedent is indeed binding, but is difficult or impossible to distinguish, there is one other way to avoid its effect. 9.如果判例己处于事实上的无效，尽管这很难并且不太可能区分，仍有一个别外的一种方法使之无效。 If the court of decision is the one that created the precedent (or is a higher court), it can simply “overrule” the earlier decision.

10.如果欲判决法院是做出判例的法院或是其上级法院，那就很简单地宣布这个先例无效。 (This does not retroactively change the outcome for the parties to that earlier case, but it does change the rule for the case under decision and subsequent similar cases.)

11.宣布判例无效并不对这个判例中诉讼双方的权利义务产生回溯性的改变，它只是改变了欲判决案件所适用的裁判规则。

Overruling is considered a relatively drastic action and is usually reserved for instances in which the court feels that the rule established by the earlier precedent is simply wrong, i.e., unjust in its general application because either it was ill conceived at the outset or it has been outmoded by later developments.

12.宣布无效被认为是一种严格的行为，法院通常在认为判例所建立的规则是非常错误地时候才适用。比如，“不公正”通常可以理解为“一开始被错误的表达”或者“因后来发展而过时废弃了”。

5

Historically, contract law developed in the Anglo-American system as common law, rather than by statute.

1.事实上，合同法发端于英裔美国人制定的普通法而非制定法。

Until this century, the most notable exception to this historical pattern was the “statute of frauds,” which was enacted first in England and subsequently in virtually every American state.

美国各州都适用。

This statute requires certain contracts to be evidenced by a signed writing in order to be enforceable in court. 3.这部法律规定：合同一经签订就具有法院强制执行力的效果。

As we shall see, the statute of frauds has itself become so overlaid by court decisions that is has more of the quality of common law than of a modern statute.

4.就像我们看到的这部“反欺诈行为法”法典本身己经因法院的判决而失去了原有的制定法的特色，这意味着它具有比现代意义上的制定法具有更多的普通法的特色。

By and large, however, such revisions are rare; even today contract law remains essentially a common law system, except as it is being affected by a remarkable modern statute, the Uniform Commercial Code.

5.但总体而言，即使到了今天，除了受到现代著名的具有里程碑式的《美国统一商法典》的影响外，以这种方式修改合同法仍然是很少见的。

6 When a court decides a case governed by a statute, its reasoning differs from that used when common law principles are applied.

1.在决定适用某部法律来裁决某个案件的时候，法院会探寻各普通法法律原则的各自不同适用问题。

Any court, even the highest court of the jurisdiction, is bound to follow the provisions of a valid statute that apply to the dispute before it.

2.任何法院，即使是联邦最高法院，都会按照现行有效法律的规定范围去适用这部法律。

This duty stems from a fundamental political tenet of our society: the legislature has ultimate lawmaking power so long as it acts within the bounds of its constitutional authority.

3.这种适用义务源于当今社会的一个基本的政治信条，即在宪法授权的范围内制定法律，立法机关享有最终的立法权。

Thus, the legislature may if it wishes modify or eliminate any of the rules of common law.

4.因此，立法机关可以根据它的意图变更或废止任何普通法的条款。

Sometimes, of course, the language of a statute may be subject to differing interpretations; in such cases, courts ordinarily seek to ascertain the legislature’s purpose in enacting it, in order to adopt a construction that will best effectuate that purpose. Sometimes there is “legislative history”—legislative debates, committee reports, etc.—which sheds light on that purpose.

5.当然，有时候法律用语会有多种理解，这种情况下，法院为使法律发挥更好的效果，通常会探寻最符合立法机关立法时的意图。有时候，立法史资料包括立法资料，大会报告等等，都可以用来说明立法意图。