RULE OF LAW AND IGNORANCE OF LAW. ON THE PRINCIPLE IGNORANTIA LEGIS NON EXCUSAT

Abstract

The principle ignorantia legis non excusat is generally recognized in Western legal systems though its justification is far from clear. This work recalls the various attempts to justify this principle, including the very negation of its rationale, and proposes an analysis that shows the limited scope of the principle in current legal order and, in these terms, its reasonable justification