1998 · Charters, declarations and treaties

Human Rights Act 1998 (United Kingdom)

United Kingdom

An Act that makes the rights of the European Convention on Human Rights enforceable in UK courts. Judges must read other laws consistently with those rights where possible, and may declare a law incompatible, but cannot strike it down.

Why it matters

It keeps the idea of parliamentary sovereignty while giving judges a way to enforce rights, by issuing a declaration of incompatibility.

Built on

1950 (in force 1953)

European Convention on Human Rights

Council of Europe

incorporates the Convention rights into UK law

1990

New Zealand Bill of Rights Act

New Zealand

its duty to read laws consistently with rights echoes the New Zealand Act

Went on to shape

No later text on this timeline is recorded as built on it.

Countries in the Legal Families Atlas

United Kingdom

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