Meaning: Where there is a right, there is a remedy. Explanation: Rights should be enforceable by legal remedies; courts must make rights effective. Example: If a tenant’s right to quiet

Meaning: An act does not make one guilty without guilty intent. Explanation: Criminal liability normally requires wrongful action plus a culpable mental state. Example: An accidental breaking of property differs

Meaning: You shall have the body (protection against unlawful detention). Explanation: Courts can require authorities to justify detention; protects liberty. Example: A person arrested without charge can petition habeas corpus

Meaning: Remedies must fit the wrong. Explanation: Sanctions or state measures should be proportionate to the harm addressed. Example: A regulatory penalty should reflect actual damage rather than be excessively

Meaning: The thing speaks for itself. Explanation: Where harm plainly results from negligence, circumstances may shift burden to defendant to explain. Example: A consumer finding a foreign object in sealed

Meaning: Agreements must be kept. Explanation: Contracts create enforceable expectations; stability depends on honouring them. Example: A clear employment contract obligations are enforceable in court when breached.

Meaning: Ignorance of the law excuses no one. Explanation: Personal unawareness typically won’t excuse illegal acts; citizens expected to know the law. Example: A business cannot avoid tax penalties by

Meaning: No one should be judge in their own cause. Explanation: Decision-makers must be impartial; personal interest disqualifies. Example: A council member with a conflict of interest must recuse from

 Meaning: When in doubt, for the accused. Explanation: If reasonable doubt remains, acquit rather than convict; safeguards against wrongful conviction. Example: A court finds conflicting eyewitness accounts and resolves doubts

 Meaning: An act does not make one guilty without guilty intent. Explanation: Criminal liability normally requires both wrongful action and a culpable state of mind. Example: Accidentally damaging a neighbour’s

Meaning: The thing speaks for itself. Explanation: When harm obviously results from negligence, the circumstances can shift the burden to the defendant to explain. Example: A surgical instrument left inside

Meaning: No crime without law. Explanation: Acts cannot be criminally punished unless law clearly defined them beforehand. Example: A novel behaviour cannot be retroactively criminalised to punish someone after the

Meaning: Protection against unlawful detention. Explanation: Authorities must justify why someone is held; individuals can challenge illegal imprisonment. Example: A detained protester can petition a court to review the lawfulness

Meaning: Remedies must fit the wrong. Explanation: State measures or sanctions should be proportionate to the harm they address. Example: A fine for a paperwork error should reflect the actual

Meaning: The welfare of the state is the supreme law. Explanation: Public interest can justify measures that serve collective safety, balanced against rights. Example: Emergency water rationing during a citywide

Meaning: Agreements must be kept. Explanation: Contracts create enforceable expectations; stability of deals depends on honouring them. Example: Two friends’ rental agreement is enforceable once terms are clear and accepted.

Meaning: Ignorance of the law excuses no one. Explanation: Citizens are expected to know the law; personal unawareness usually won’t excuse illegal acts. Example: A driver can’t avoid a fine