Definitions from Black's Law Dictionary: 2nd Edition and Ballentine's Law Dictionary as are available for each term in each dictionary.
  • Ballentine's Law Dictionary

    Laws of the Roman emperors.

  • Black's Law Dictionary: 2nd Edition

    Laws promulgated, i. e., enacted, by the Roman Emperor. They were of various kinds, namely, the following:
    (1) Edicta;
    (2) decreta;
    (3) rescripta, called also "epistolœ." Sometimes they were general, and intended to form a precedent for other like cases; at other times they were special, particular or individual, (personales,) and not intended to form a precedent. The emperor had this power of Irresponsible enactment by virtue of a certain lex regia, whereby he was made the fountain of justice and of mercy. Brown. Constitutiones tempore posteriores po-tiores sunt his quæ ipsas præcesserunt. Dig. 1, 4, 4. Later laws prevall over those which preceded them.