Libel Act 1792
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Libel Act 1792[1] (32 Geo. III c. 60) (also known as Fox's Act) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. At the urging of the Whig politician Charles James Fox, the Act restored to juries the right to decide what was libel and whether a defendant was guilty, rather than leaving it solely to the judge. It is still in force.
The Act itself only applies to criminal trials, but the rules it creates have come to be applied in civil trials.[citation needed]
Edmund Burke presented a similar bill in 1791. Charles James Fox opposed it and it was not passed.
[edit] References
- ^ This short title was conferred by the Short Titles Act 1896, section 1 and the first schedule
[edit] External links
- Official text of the Libel Act 1792 as amended and in force today within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database
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