prerogative

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Unquestioned right or privilege belonging to an individual.

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noun

1. A privilege granted a person, as by virtue of birth: appanage, birthright, perquisite, right. Law droit. See owned/unowned.
2. The right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge: authority, command, control, domination, dominion, jurisdiction, mastery, might, power, sovereignty, sway. Informal say-so. See over/under.

n

Definition: right, privilege
Antonyms: duty, obligation

Prerogative powers are those which are at the autonomous disposal of heads of state and which do not require sanction by a legislature. Their theoretical justification lies in Locke's view of a need for a final arbiter to maintain order. In liberal democracies written constitutions vary in their definition of prerogative powers for heads of state. Constitutional monarchs and some presidents, for example in Germany, have almost entirely ceremonial powers, although in some cases, such as the Spanish monarchy under King Juan Carlos, important political roles can be played. More conventionally, presidents have reserve or emergency powers to be used in situations of political crisis, although by definition they are rarely invoked. In the United States, the President as head of state has considerable powers beyond those in an emergency which relate to the initiation of legislation, maintenance of internal order, diplomatic relations, and the command of the armed forces. In theory the Presidency is checked by Congress, federalism, and an independent judiciary, but in practice has asserted considerable autonomy in the use of such powers. The French Presidency in the Fifth Republic has perhaps the most extensive constitutionally defined prerogative powers. In addition to unconstrained emergency powers the French President ordinarily has the right to chair the council of ministers, with the power to appoint, rather then merely nominate, and dismiss the prime minister, negotiate with foreign powers, and call referendums. This effectively makes the President the head of the government as well as head of state. In the United Kingdom in the absence of a written constitution prerogative powers have become discretionary powers of the political executive, carried out in the name of the monarch. These cover the making of foreign policy, the prosecution of war, and the making of appointments to the armed forces and the central machinery of government. In these policy areas, whilst still open to scrutiny, the UK executive is considerably more autonomous from parliamentary decision-making processes than executives in other Westminster-style systems.

— Jonathan Bradbury

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

An exclusive privilege. The special power or peculiar right possessed by an official by virtue of his or her office. In English law, a discretionary power that exceeds and is unaffected by any other power; the special preeminence that the monarch has over and above all others, as a consequence of his or her sovereignty.

The term prerogative is occasionally used by writers of law to refer to the object over which royal powers are exercised, such as fiscal prerogatives, which are the revenues of the king or queen.

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

A sovereign's right to do wrong.

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IN BRIEF: Having higher rank or precedence.

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave. — Gandhi (1869-1948)

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For a list of words related to prerogative, see:

• Acts, Powers, Conditions, and Procedures - prerogative: exclusive special right or privilege inherent in position or office

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Prerogative.

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Common misspelling(s) of prerogative

• perogative

Dansk (Danish)
n. - forret
adj. - for-

Nederlands (Dutch)
privilege, voorrecht

Français (French)
n. - prérogative, droit
adj. - d'une prérogative

Deutsch (German)
n. - Vorrecht
adj. - bevorrechtigt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (αποκλειστικό ή ιδιαίτερο) προνόμιο

Italiano (Italian)
prerogativa, privilegio, precedenza, priorità

Português (Portuguese)
n. - prerrogativa (f)

Русский (Russian)
прерогатива

Español (Spanish)
n. - privilegio
adj. - prerrogativa

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - privilegium, förmånsrätt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
特权, 大权, 特权的, 有特权的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 特權, 大權
adj. - 特權的, 有特權的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 특권, 특전
adj. - 특권의, 특권이 있는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 特権, 大権

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) امتياز, حق الامتياز‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮זכות בכורה, זכות מיוחדת, עדיפות‬
adj. - ‮בעל זכות בכורה, נוגע להעדפה או לזכות מיוחדת‬

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