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Equity and Discretion in a Modern Islamic Legal System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2024

Lawrence Rosen
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Abstract

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Kadijustiz is a concept well known from the work of Max Weber. Its essential element, the means by which judicial discretion and equitable assessments are actually made, is, however, less clearly documented. Drawing on a detailed study of a qadi's court in contemporary Morocco, the present article shows how cultural assumptions give shape to the judge's modes of reasoning, factual assessments, and choice of remedies. The study suggests that if careful attention is given to the broader cultural precepts within which judicial discretion is located, Kadijustiz, whether represented by an Islamic court official or a Western justice of the peace, will be seen to possess definite regularities.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , 1981 , pp. 217 - 245
Copyright
Copyright © 1981 The Law and Society Association

Footnotes

*

The research on which this study is based was carried out during three field trips: January, 1967-August, 1968; summer, 1969; and June-October, 1978. Support was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the University of Illinois, and the American Council of Learned Societies. Arabic terms are transcribed in the text without the use of diacritical marks.

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