Revocation is the act of
recall or
annulment. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making
void of some
deed
In common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions, sealed. It is commonly associated with transferrin ...
previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is called a suspension.
Contract law
In the
law of
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to ...
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 and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, p ...
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), or revoke their acceptance. Under Article 2 of the
Uniform Commercial Code, 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). A
Proposal/
Offer
Offer or offers may refer to:
People
* Ofer Eshed or Offer Eshed (1942-2007), Israeli basketball player
* Offer Nissim (born 1964), Israeli house DJ
* Avner Offer, economic historian
* Dick Offer, English rower
* Jack Offer, English rower
* Stev ...
May be revoked at any time, before the communication of its acceptance is complete as against the proposer, but not afterwards.
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.
In contract law, ''revocation'' can also refer to the termination of an
offer
Offer or offers may refer to:
People
* Ofer Eshed or Offer Eshed (1942-2007), Israeli basketball player
* Offer Nissim (born 1964), Israeli house DJ
* Avner Offer, economic historian
* Dick Offer, English rower
* Jack Offer, English rower
* Stev ...
. 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. However, an offer may not be revoked if it has been encapsulated in an
option
Option or Options may refer to:
Computing
*Option key, a key on Apple computer keyboards
*Option type, a polymorphic data type in programming languages
*Command-line option, an optional parameter to a command
*OPTIONS, an HTTP request method
...
.
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 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, cars, trucks, or buses—on a publi ...
".
In
criminal law, revocation of
probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences ( alternatives to incarceration), suc ...
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 legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical th ...
,
privileges
Privilege may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Privilege'' (film), a 1967 film directed by Peter Watkins
* ''Privilege'' (Ivor Cutler album), 1983
* ''Privilege'' (Television Personalities album), 1990
* ''Privilege (Abridged)'', an alb ...
, or
license 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, 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,
laws, contracts,
sentences,
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 appointments are at times revoked by the grantor, his successor or superior according to the prescriptions of law. Revocation without
just cause Just Cause may refer to:
* Just cause (employment law), a common standard in United States labor arbitration, and a reason for termination of employment.
* ''Just Cause'' (film), a 1995 legal thriller starring Sean Connery
* ''Just Cause'' (TV se ...
is
illicit though often valid. Laws and customs are revoked when, owing to change of circumstances, they cease to be just and reasonable.
Concordats are revocable when they redound to the serious injury of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
See also
*
Degradation (knighthood)
References
External links
{{Catholic Encyclopedia poster, Revocation
Canon law of the Catholic Church
Contract law