| Robert's Rules of Order | |
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Cover of 2011 (11th) edition |
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| Author(s) | Gen. Henry Martyn Robert, Henry M. Robert III, Daniel H. Honemann, Thomas J. Balch, Daniel E. Seabold, Shmuel Gerber |
| Publisher | Da Capo Press |
| Publication date | 1876 |
| Pages | 669 |
| ISBN | 978-0-306-82020-5 |
| OCLC Number | 45286870 |
| Dewey Decimal | 060.4/2 22 |
| LC Classification | JF515 .R692 2000 |
Robert's Rules of Order is the short title of a book containing rules of order intended to be adopted as a parliamentary authority for use by a deliberative assembly written by Brig. Gen. Henry Martyn Robert.
Currently in its eleventh edition and published under the name Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (and often referred to using the initialism RONR) it is the most widely used parliamentary authority in the United States,[1] according to the National Association of Parliamentarians, a professional association of approximately 4,000 members which provides education and accreditation certifications for parliamentarians.[2]
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The first edition of the book, whose full title was Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies, was published in February 1876 by then U.S. Army Brigadier General Henry Martyn Robert (1837–1923) with the short title Robert's Rules of Order placed on its cover. The procedures prescribed by the book were loosely modeled after those used in the United States House of Representatives, with such adaptations as Robert saw fit for use in ordinary societies. The author's interest in parliamentary procedure began in 1863 when he was chosen to preside over a church meeting and, although he accepted the task, felt that he did not have the necessary knowledge of proper procedure. In his later work as an active member of several organizations, he discovered that members from different areas of the country had very different views regarding what the proper parliamentary rules were, and these conflicting views hampered the organizations in their work. He eventually became convinced of the need for a new manual on the subject, one which would enable many organizations to adopt the same set of rules.
The book is designed for use in ordinary societies rather than legislative assemblies, and it is the most commonly adopted parliamentary authority among societies in the United States.[3] The book claims to be a "codification of the present-day general parliamentary law (omitting provisions having no application outside legislative bodies)".[4] This statement does not imply any approbation on the part of the courts, and the "general parliamentary law" is related neither to statutory legal requirements nor to common-law precedent derived from court judgments. Being widely accepted, and being based for the most part on long-standing traditions of parliamentary procedure, however, the current edition of the book is a reliable reference. Nevertheless, the provisions of any particular manual are not, as a general matter, legally binding upon an assembly that has not formally adopted it as its parliamentary authority; any such manual can at best be cited as "persuasive".[5] In addition, a number of changes have been made to recent editions, such as provisions dealing with videoconferences, teleconferences, and email, which now makes these editions more than merely codifications of the "present-day general parliamentary law" as existed at the time Robert was originally writing.
As Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies (cover short title: Robert's Rules of Order)
As Robert's Rules of Order Revised
As Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised
Robert himself published the first four editions before his death in 1923, the last being the thoroughly revised and expanded fourth edition published as Robert's Rules of Order Revised in May 1915. By this time Robert had long been retired from the Army with the rank of brigadier general.
Through a family trust, and later through the Robert's Rules Association, several subsequent editions of Robert's work have been published, including another major revision of the work. The seventh edition, published in February 1970 on the 94th anniversary of the publication of the first edition, was the first under the title Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised.
The current edition of the series was published on September 27, 2011, and entitled Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, Eleventh Edition (2011) (hardback ISBN 978-0-306-82021-2; paperback ISBN 978-0-306-82020-5; leatherbound ISBN 978-0-306-82022-9)[6][7]. This edition states that it
supersedes all previous editions and is intended automatically to become the parliamentary authority in organizations whose bylaws prescribe "Robert's Rules of Order," "Robert's Rules of Order Revised," "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised," or "the current edition of" any of these titles, or the like, without specifying a particular edition.—[8]
Since the copyrights for several of the original editions have expired, numerous other books and manuals have been published incorporating "Robert's Rules of Order" as part of their titles, some of them based on those earlier editions.
The existence of multiple editions and other variations all published as "Robert's Rules of Order" can sometimes cause confusion, as the various publications may differ in some details. If an organization that has adopted "Robert's Rules of Order" does not wish RONR to be considered its reference authority, it should adopt another version explicitly, as RONR is generally considered by parliamentarians to be the definitive source on the subject.
In those cases in which the bylaws or other governing documents of an organization refer to "Robert's Rules of Order," the book is merely a default source of authority and is subordinate to other rules. For example, a nonprofit corporation is governed (in descending order of priority) by state law, the articles of incorporation, the bylaws, and resolutions of the board of directors. Only when those sources fail to provide the answer is it appropriate to refer to "Robert's Rules of Order".
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