A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes

law 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 vario ...

s, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for example, the European Parliament), national (for example, the United States Congress), or local (for example, Local government, local authorities).

Overview

The political theory of the separation of powers requires legislators to be independent individuals from the members of the executive (government), executive and the judiciary. Certain political systems adhere to this principle, others do not. In the United Kingdom, for example, the executive is formed almost exclusively from legislators (members of Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament) although the judiciary is mostly independent (until reforms in 2005, the Lord Chancellor uniquely was a legislator, a member of the executive - indeed, the Cabinet (government), Cabinet - and a judge, while until 2009 the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary were both judges and legislators as members of the House of Lords, though by convention they did not vote in the House until retirement). In continental European jurisprudence and legal discussion, "the legislator" (''le législateur'') is the abstract entity that has produced the laws. When there is room for interpretation (logic), interpretation, the intent of the legislator will be questioned, and the court is directed to rule in the direction it judges to best fit the legislative intent, which can be difficult in the case of conflicting laws or constitutional provisions.

Terminology

The local term for a legislator is usually a derivation of the local term for the relevant legislature. Typical examples include * Parliament: Member of Parliament * Assembly: Member of the Assembly * Legislature: Member of the Legislature * Congress: Member of Congress * Senate: Senator * House of Representatives: Representative *The generic term "deputy" may also be used, deriving from the concept that the legislator is "deputising" for the electorate of his electoral district.

By country

This is an incomplete list of terms for a national legislator:

Substitute legislator

Some legislatures provide each legislator with an official "substitute legislator" who deputises for the legislator in the legislature if the elected representative is unavailable. Venezuela, for example, provides for substitute legislators (''diputado suplente'') to be elected under Article 186 of its Constitution of Venezuela, 1999 constitution. Ecuador, Panama, and the U.S. state of Idaho also have substitute legislators.

References

External links