Aturan hukum

Aturan hukum atau dalam bahasa Inggris rule of law adalah prinsip hukum yang menyatakan bahwa negara harus diperintah oleh hukum dan bukan sekadar keputusan para perjabat secara perorangan. Prinsip tersebut biasanya merujuk kepada pengaruh dan wewenang hukum dalam masyarakat, terutama sebagai pengatur perilaku, termasuk perilaku para pejabat pemerintah.The Oxford English Dictionary has defined "rule of law" this way:
The authority and influence of law in society, esp. when viewed as a constraint on individual and institutional behaviour; (hence) the principle whereby all members of a society (including those in government) are considered equally subject to publicly disclosed legal codes and processes. See “Civil Affairs and Rule of Law”, Dudley Knox Library, Naval Postgraduate School (accessed October 18, 2013) (quoting the OED).  The phrase "rule of law" is also sometimes used in other senses. See Garner, Bryan A. (Editor in Chief). Black's Law Dictionary, 9th Edition, p. 1448. (Thomson Reuters, 2009). ISBN 978-0-314-26578-4. The lead definition given by Black's is this: "A substantive legal principle", and the second definition is the "supremacy of regular as opposed to arbitrary power". Black's provides a total of five definitions of "rule of law". Istilah ini berasal dari Inggris pada abad ke-16, dan pada abad berikutnya, teolog Skotlandia Samuel Rutherford menggunakan istilah tersebut dalam argumennya untuk menentang hak ilahi raja.Rutherford, Samuel. Lex, rex: the law and the prince, a dispute for the just prerogative of king and people, containing the reasons and causes of the defensive wars of the kingdom of Scotland, and of their expedition for the ayd and help of their brethren of England, p. 237 (1644): "The prince remaineth, even being a prince, a social creature, a man, as well as a king; one who must buy, sell, promise, contract, dispose: ergo, he is not regula regulans, but under rule of law...."

Albert Venn Dicey dalam Introduction to the Law of the Constitution mengatakan bahwa rule of law memiliki tiga unsur dasar:
 Supremasi aturan hukum: seseorang hanya boleh dihukum kalau melanggar hukum
 Kedudukan yang sama di mata hukum: baik itu pejabat maupun rakyat jelata
 Terjaminnya hak asasi manusia melalui undang-undang dan putusan pengadilan

 Perbedaan dengan Rechtsstaat 
Daniel S. Lev mencatat perbedaan utama konsep Rechtsstaat dengan rule of law adalah terletak pada akar perkembangannya sendiri. Rule of law berkembang dari tradisi hukum Inggris yang didukung oleh struktur kelas menengah yang kuat dan mengendalikan proses demokrasi di Parlemen sebagai penyeimbang dari institusi diraja yang lebih lemah. Di sisi lain, tradisi Rechtsstaat berasal dari negara-negara Eropa (seperti Jerman dan Perancis) yang memiliki tradisi birokrasi yang kuat dan tidak selalu dapat dikendalikan oleh elit politik.Lev, Daniel S., 1978, "Judicial Authority and the Struggle for an Indonesian Rechtsstaat", Law & Society Review, Vol. 13, No. 1, hlm. 37-71

 Lihat pula 
 Rechtsstaat

 Catatan dan referensi 

 Daftar pustaka 

 Amity Shlaes,The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, "The Rules of the Game and Economic Recovery".
 Alessandro Torre, United Kingdom, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2005.

 Pranala luar 
 Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, includes academic articles, practitioner reports, commentary, and book reviews.
 International Network to Promote the Rule of Law, United States Institute of Peace.
 Rule of Law Resource Center, LexisNexis
 "The Rule of Law Inventory Report" , Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL), Hague Academic Coalition (2007-04-20).
 The World Justice Project A multinational, multidisciplinary initiative to strengthen the rule of law worldwide.
 World Justice Map  Map-based information exchange platform facilitating networking among Rule of Law promoters globally.
 "Understandings of the Rule of Law in various Legal Orders of the World", Wiki-Project of Freie Universitaet Berlin.
 Eau Claire County Bar Association rule of law talk 
 Frithjof Ehm "The Rule of Law: Concept, Guiding Principle and Framework"

 The World Engagement Institute (WEInstitute)
 The International Development Law Organization  (IDLO)

Kategori:Konsep hukum
Kategori:Konsep politik
Kategori:Filsafat hukum