Revocation is the act of
recall or
annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning alm ...
. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making
void of some
deed
A deed is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially concerning the ownership of property or legal rights. Specifically, in common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right ...
previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is called a suspension.
Contract law
In the
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
of
contract
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
s, revocation is a type of
remedy for buyers when the buyer
accepts a nonconforming
good
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil. The specific meaning and etymology of the term and its ...
from the seller. Upon receiving the nonconforming good, the buyer may choose to accept it despite the nonconformity, reject it (although this may not be allowed under the
perfect tender rule and whether the Seller still has time to
cure
A cure is a substance or procedure that resolves a medical condition. This may include a medication, a surgery, surgical operation, a lifestyle change, or even a philosophical shift that alleviates a person's suffering or achieves a state of heali ...
), or revoke their acceptance. Under Article 2 of the
Uniform Commercial Code
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been established as law with the goal of harmonizing the laws of sales and other commercial transactions across the United States through U ...
, for a buyer to revoke, he must show (1) the goods failed to conform to the contract ''and'' (2) it substantially impaired the value of the goods (this is a
question of fact
In law, a question of law, also known as a point of law, is a question that must be answered by a judge and can not be answered by a jury. Such a question is distinct from a question of fact, which must be answered by reference to facts and eviden ...
). A
Proposal/
Offer May be revoked at any time, before the communication of its acceptance is complete as against the proposer, but not afterward.
If the buyer knew of the nonconformity at the time of acceptance, he can revoke only if he can show he accepted the goods with the impression the seller would cure it and that did not happen. If he did ''not'' know of the nonconformity at acceptance, he can revoke only if he can prove he was
reasonably induced by the difficulty of discovering the defect or by the seller's assurances. The buyer can revoke if (1) it occurs within a reasonable time after the buyer discovers or should have discovered; (2) before any substantial change in the goods not caused by their own defects; and (3) not effective until the buyer notifies the seller he is going to revoke. Upon revocation, the buyer can then cancel the contract and compel refund of the purchase price of the goods. In some states, the courts allow the seller to set off the price for the time the buyer kept the goods before the revocation.
''Revocation'' can also refer to the termination of an
offer. An offeror may revoke an offer before it has been accepted, but the revocation must be communicated to the offeree, although not necessarily by the offeror. If the offer was made to the entire world, such as in ''
Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co'', the revocation must take a form that is similar to the offer. An offer may not be revoked if it has been encapsulated in an
option.
If the offer is one that leads to a unilateral contract, then unless there was an ancillary contract entered into that guaranteed that the main contract would not be withdrawn, the contract may be revoked at any time.
Government administration

There are many forms of revocation, which are typically done as either a punishment, or to prevent abuse of a privilege. When the revocation is temporary, it is called a suspension, as in a "suspended
driver's license
A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, ca ...
".
In
criminal law
Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...
, revocation of
probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...
in the
criminal justice
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...
system occurs when the subject violates the terms of probation and is
incarcerated. (Release upon successful completion of the probationary term is not called revocation.)
Revocation of legal
rights
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
,
privileges, or
license
A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
can occur either administratively or through criminal courts. A common example is the revocation of a driver's license for egregious or repeated violations of
traffic laws, which can be done by a criminal court, or an administrative traffic court, depending on jurisdiction. Another example is the loss of certain privileges in government environments that permit restrictions on normal citizen rights:
* Revocation of privileges in
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Few nations, such ...
, such as a
liberty pass;
* Revocation of privileges prison inmates, such as visitation rights.
A related type of revocation occurs when a person loses some form of rank or office. The demotion or removal is sometimes termed revocation.
Finally, a person can revoke a grant of representation. For example, a person may sign a
power of attorney
A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...
, then later revoke it. The previous grantee then loses the right make decisions on the principal's (grantor's) behalf.
Canon law
In canon law, grants,
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
s, contracts,
sentences
The ''Sentences'' (. ) is a compendium of Christian theology written by Peter Lombard around 1150. It was the most important religious textbook of the Middle Ages.
Background
The sentence genre emerged from works like Prosper of Aquitaine's ...
,
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...
, and appointments are at times revoked by the grantor, his successor or superior according to the prescriptions of law. Revocation without
just cause is
illicit though often valid. Laws and customs are revoked when, owing to change of circumstances, they cease to be just and reasonable.
Concordat
A concordat () is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 s are revocable when they redound to the serious injury of the
...
s are revocable when they redound to the serious injury of the Catholic Church.