5
Article 5
Titre I:
De la Publication, des Effets et de l'Application des Lois en général
(On the Publication, Effects, and Application of Laws in General)
Il est défendu aux juges de commenter la loi ; et ils sont toujours tenus de juger textuellement.
Life lesson:
The judge is the mouth of the law, not its author. When those who apply the law begin to rewrite it, justice becomes opinion.
Notes:
Strict textualism — a direct constraint on judicial interpretation. Reflects the Enlightenment principle that legislative power belongs solely to the sovereign/legislature, not the judiciary. More restrictive than the French model.