derogation

1 a communication that belittles somebody or something [syn: disparagement, depreciation]

2 (law) the partial taking away of the effectiveness of a law; a partial repeal or abolition of a law; "any derogation of the common law is to be strictly construed"

English

Noun

1. An act which belittles; disparagement.
2. The act of derogating; the temporary or partial nullification of a law.

See also

• abrogation

Derogation is the partial revocation of a law, as opposed to abrogation or the total abolition of a law. The term is used in both civil law and canon law. It is sometimes used, loosely, to mean abrogation, as in the legal maxim: Lex posterior derogat priori, i.e. a subsequent law imports the abolition of a previous one.

Derogation differs from dispensation in that it applies to the law, where dispensations applies to specific people affected by the law.

In terms of European Union legislation, a derogation can also imply that a member state delays the implementation of an element of an EU Regulation (etc) into their legal system over a given timescale, such as five years; or that a member state has opted not to enforce a specific provision in a treaty due to internal circumstances (typically a state of emergency).

See also

• Repeal

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia Derogation

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