Rule of Recognition
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A central part of Herbert Hart's theory on legal positivism, the rule of recognition, as explained by Hart, has three functions:
- To establish a test for valid law in the applicable legal system,
- To confer validity to everything else in the applicable legal system, and
- To unify the laws in the applicable legal system.
According to Hart, any rule that complies with the rule of recognition is a valid legal rule. For example, if the rule of recognition were "what the Queen says is law", then any rule the Queen spoke would be a valid legal rule.