Editing Pacta sunt servanda

{{Short description|Latin legal phrase}}
{{Italic title}}{{See also|Good faith (law)}}

'''''Pacta sunt servanda'''''<ref>[[Latin]] for "agreements must be kept", Black's Law Dictionary (8th ed. 2004)</ref> ("agreements must be kept.") is a [[Brocard (law)|brocard]] and a fundamental [[principle of law]] which holds that treaties or contracts are binding upon the parties that entered into the treaty or contract.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wehberg |first=Hans |date=1959 |title=Pacta Sunt Servanda |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/abs/pacta-sunt-servanda/E8967A236B1141934DD8D1495FEA2BFA |journal=American Journal of International Law |language=en |volume=53 |issue=4 |pages=775–786 |doi=10.2307/2195750 |jstor=2195750 |issn=0002-9300}}</ref> It is [[customary international law]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kunz |first=Josef L. |date=1945 |title=The Meaning and the Range of the Norm Pacta Sunt Servanda |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/abs/meaning-and-the-range-of-the-norm-pacta-sunt-servanda/87674E485CBE023C0A16B6B429FA2361 |journal=American Journal of International Law |language=en |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=180–197 |doi=10.2307/2192340 |jstor=2192340 |issn=0002-9300}}</ref> According to Hans Wehberg, a professor of [[international law]], "few rules for the ordering of Society have such a deep moral and religious influence" as this principle.<ref>Wehberg, H., '[https://www.jstor.org/stable/2195750 Pacta Sunt Servanda]', ''[[The American Journal of International Law]]'' 53, no. 4 (1959), accessed 10 February 2022</ref>

In its most common sense, the principle refers to private [[contract]]s and prescribes that the provisions, i.e. [[clause]]s, of a contract are [[law]] between the parties to the contract, and therefore implies that neglect of their respective obligations is a violation of the contract. The first known expression of the brocard is in the writings of the [[Canon law of the Catholic Church|canonist]] [[Henry of Segusio|Cardinal Hostiensis]] from the 13th century AD, which were published in the 16th.<ref>Hyland, 1994, p. 416</ref>

== Modern jurisprudence ==
In both [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] and [[common law]] jurisdictions, the principle is related to the general principle of correct behavior in commerce, including the assumption of [[good faith]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=E. |first=Nedzel, Nadia |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1306381919 |title=A Comparative Study of Good Faith, Fair Dealing, and Precontractual Liability. |pages=98–99 |oclc=1306381919}}</ref> While most jurisdictions in the world have some form of good faith within their legal systems, there exists debate as to how good faith should be evaluated and measured.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mackaay |first=Ejan |date=2011 |title=Good Faith in Civil Law Systems – A Legal-Economic Analysis |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1998924 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |pages=157–170 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1998924 |s2cid=144021119 |issn=1556-5068|hdl=1866/18314 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> For example, in the United States—a common law jurisdiction—the implied duty of good faith and fair dealing exists in all commercial contracts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Catherine |date=July 26, 2016 |title=What You Should Know about the Implied Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing |url=https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/business-torts-unfair-competition/practice/2016/duty-of-good-faith-fair-dealing/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402032333/https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/business-torts-unfair-competition/practice/2016/duty-of-good-faith-fair-dealing/ |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |access-date=June 16, 2022 |website=The American Bar Association}}</ref>

== International law ==
Under international law, "every [[treaty]] in force is binding upon the parties to it and must be performed by them in [[good faith]]."<ref>''[[Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties]]'' (signed in [[Vienna]], [[Austria]] on 23 May 1969 and entered into force on 27 January 1980), Article 26; and ''[[Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations or between International Organizations]]'' (signed in Vienna on 21 March 1986), Article 26: ''not yet entered into force''.</ref> This entitles [[State (polity)|states]] party to the [[Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties]] (signed 23 May 1969 and entered into force on 27 January 1980) to require that obligations instituted by treaties be honored and to rely on such obligations being honored. This basis of good faith for treaties implies that a party to a treaty cannot invoke provisions of its [[Municipal law|municipal (domestic) law]] as justification for negligence of its obligations pursuant to the treaty in question.

The only limits to application of ''pacta sunt servanda'' are the [[peremptory norm]]s of general international law, which are denominated "''[[peremptory norm|jus cogens]]''", i.e. compelling law. The legal principle of ''[[clausula rebus sic stantibus]]'' in [[customary international law]] also permits non-satisfaction of obligations pursuant to treaty because of a compelling change of circumstances.

==See also==
*[[Breach of contract]]
*[[Breach of the peace]]
*''[[Schubert Jurisprudence]]''
*[[Efficient breach of contract]]
*[[Fundamental breach]]
*[[Hugo Grotius]]
*[[List of Latin phrases]]
*[[List of legal Latin terms]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-930509/pacta-sunt-servanda Britannica Online Encyclopedia - Pacta sunt servanda]
*Richard Hyland, [http://translex.uni-koeln.de/124500/_/hyland-richard-pacta-sunt-servanda:-a-meditation-34-vjil-1994-at-405-et-seq/ ''Pacta sunt servanda'': a meditation], ''Virginia Journal of International Law'' 34, no. 2 (1994): 405–433.

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[[Category:Brocards (law)]]
[[Category:Civil law (common law)]]
[[Category:Civil law legal terminology]]
[[Category:Conflict of laws]]
[[Category:International law]]
[[Category:International law legal terminology]]
[[Category:Legal rules with Latin names]]
[[Category:Law of obligations]]
[[Category:Legal doctrines and principles]]