A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct

law reform Law reform or legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing change in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency. Intimately related are law reform bodies or law commissions, ...

; that is, to consider the state of laws in a

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. Ju ...

and make recommendations or proposals for legal changes or restructuring. The first term is prevalent in the United Kingdom, the second is prevalent in the Commonwealth, and the third one is prevalent in the United States.

Work

The functions of a law commission body include drafting revised versions of confusing laws, preparing consolidated versions of laws, making recommendations on updating outdated laws and making recommendations on repealing obsolete or

spent law In British law and in some related legal systems, an enactment is spent if it is "exhausted in operation by the accomplishment of the purposes for which it was enacted". United Kingdom The scope of Statute Law Revision Bills includes the repea ...

s. Law commissions often undertake projects focusing on legislation, although their mandates may be narrower or broader.

List of law commissions

Australian Law Reform Commission The Australian Law Reform Commission (often abbreviated to ALRC) is an Australian independent statutory body established to conduct reviews into the law of Australia. The reviews, also called inquiries or references, are referred to the ALRC by ...

*: the

Law Commission of Canada The Law Commission of Canada was an independent law commission that gave advice to the Canadian government The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. A ...

was established by the

Law Commission of Canada Act Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

on July 1, 1997 and was eliminated in 2006. It replaced the Law Reform Commission of Canada, which was created in 1971 and was dissolved in 1993 by the Mulroney government. On September 25, 2006, funding to the Commission was eliminated by the

Harper government The premiership of Stephen Harper began on February 6, 2006, when the first Cabinet headed by Stephen Harper was sworn in by Governor General Michaelle Jean. Harper was invited to form the 28th Canadian Ministry and become Prime Minister o ...

. **: Alberta Law Reform Institute **:

British Columbia Law Institute British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, formed to replace the

British Columbia Law Reform Commission British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, which had been disbanded due to lack of funding **: Manitoba Law Reform Commission **:

Law Reform Commission of Nova Scotia Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

**:

Law Commission of Ontario Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

**: –

Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

*: Fiji Law Reform Commission *:

Samoa Law Reform Commission Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...

, established under the Law Reform Commission Act 2008 *: Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong, established in 1980 *:

Law Commission of India Law Commission of India is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India. The Commission's function is to research and advise the Government of India on legal reform, and is composed of legal experts, and headed by a ret ...

*: Bangladesh - Law Commission of Bangladesh established in 1976. *: The

Law Reform Commission A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chan ...

, established under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 *
Jersey Law Commission
established by the

States of Jersey The States Assembly (french: Assemblée des États; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable of each of the twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of Jersey lie in the system o ...

in 1996 *: Nepal Law Commission established by the Nepal Law Commissions Act 2007 *: New Zealand Law Commission established by the Law Commission Act 1985 *: Nigerian Law Reform Commission *:

South African Law Reform Commission The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) is a law reform commission which investigates the state of South African law and makes proposals for its reform to Parliament and the provincial legislatures. It is an independent advisory statutory ...

*: Uganda Law Reform Commission, established by Article 248 of the Ugandan Constitution * **

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is ...

: The Law Commission **

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

: the

Scottish Law Commission The Scottish Law Commission is an advisory non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It was established in 1965 to keep Scots law under review and recommend necessary reforms to improve, simplify and update the country's legal sy ...

, established by the

Law Commissions Act 1965 The Law Commissions Act 1965 (1965 c. 22) was an Act which created the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission, tasked with reviewing English and Scots law respectively. Background During the Victorian era, successive ...

at the same time as the Law Commission in England and Wales **

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

, the Northern Ireland Law Commission (formerly the

Law Reform Advisory Committee The Law Reform Advisory Committee was a body that reviewed the civil law in Northern Ireland, with a view to making recommendations for law reform. It was the equivalent in Northern Ireland of the Law Commission in England and Wales or in Scotland ...

) was established in 2007, but has been "non-operational" since 2015. **Other bodies concerned with law reform in the United Kingdom included the Law Revision Committee (1934 to 1939) and the

Law Reform Committee The Law Reform Committee was a committee in England and Wales appointed by the Lord Chancellor "to consider, having regard especially to judicial decisions, what changes are desirable in such legal doctrines as the Lord Chancellor may from time to ...

(1952 - ) The Solicitors Journal. 1952. Volume 96. Page 285. *:

Office of the Law Revision Counsel The Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives prepares and publishes the United States Code, which is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. ...

of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

California Law Revision Commission The California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) is an independent California state agency responsible for recommending reforms of state law. Duties The CLRC makes recommendations to the California State Legislature to correct defects in California ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

: New York Law Revision Commission **

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

: New Jersey Law Revision Commission

References

{{Reflist

External links

Scottish Law CommissionLaw Commission of CanadaBritish Columbia Law InstituteLaw Reform Commission of SaskatchewanCalifornia Law Revision CommissionLaw Commission of OntarioNepal Law CommissionSouth Africa Law Reform CommissionLaw Commission of Bangladesh
Law reform

Work

List of law commissions

See also

References

External links