Secret law
A secret law is a binding statute, regulation, policy, or directive that has been kept secret from the person to whom it applies. Such laws were common in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. The term has been used in reference to some counterterrorist measures[1] taken by the Bush Administration in the United States following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Patriot Act has been referred to as having secret interpretations.[2]
Literature
Secret laws and their negative effects are described in Kafka's novel The Trial.
See also
- Glasnost
- Freedom of information legislation
- Ignorantia juris non excusat
- Gilmore v. Gonzales
References
- ↑ "The Arrival of Secret Law". FAS Project on Government Secrecy. 14 November 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ↑ Ackerman, Spencer (25 May 2011). "There’s a Secret Patriot Act, Senator Says". Wired. Retrieved 26 May 2011.