Exploring the nexus between law and morality: ethical considerations in legal studies

Iryna Pavlichenko; Nataliya Maslak; Alesia Gornostay; Juliia Melikhova; Tatyana Slyusarenko

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2024ss0734

Keywords:

Abstract

This publication aims to furnish a comprehensive examination of the ethical elements inherent in the roles of judges, prosecutors, attorneys, and notaries, elucidating their influence on the content of pertinent legal statutes governing the professional status of these legal vocations. The research employed various methodologies, encompassing the analytical method, the synthetic method, the method of scientific generalization, the method of interpreting legal norms, and the formal-logical method. The examination of legal understanding from a moral and ethical perspective involves the scrutiny of two principal concepts: the concept of natural law and the concept of legal positivism. This analytical framework enables the author to assert that a hallmark of progressive law-making lies in the adherence to not only the tenets of natural human rights but also moral and ethical principles during the formulation of legislative acts. In the context of the role and significance of ethics in the professional conduct of judges, prosecutors, attorneys, and notaries, the author undertakes an analysis of pertinent Ukrainian laws. It is asserted that within each of the examined legal enactments, ethical requirements assume a predominant role in the regulation of the legal status of practitioners in the specified legal professions. For instance, the non-violation of rules of professional ethics is delineated as a fundamental duty for specific categories of legal practitioners, with breaches serving as grounds not only for disciplinary consequences but also for the termination of the authority. Building upon the aforementioned observations, it is affirmed that the ethical dimensions of jurisprudence hold significance within contemporary legal discourse across three dimensions: adherence to moral and ethical principles in the crafting of legislative instruments; avoidance of breaches against ethical principles in the course of judicial, prosecutorial, attorney-at-law, and notarial activities; and the imperative that moral and ethical requirements remain inviolate during the preparation of legally consequential documents.
References
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2. Code of judicial ethics (2013). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/rada/show/n0001415-13#Text.
3. Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct of Prosecutors. (2017). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/n0001900-17#Text.
4. Dutchak, S., Opolska, N., Shchokin, R., Durman, O., Shevtsiv, M. (2020). International aspects of legal regulation of information relations in the global internet network. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 23(3), 1-7.
5. Eggert, L. (2022). Law and Morality in Humanitarian Intervention. Legal Theory, 28(4), 298-324.
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7. Girko, V. L., Shevchuk, B. V., Shevchuk, L. D. (2022). The G-pencil law under G-Lindeberg condition. the canonical equation K_98and G-logarithmic law. Random Operators and Stochastic Equations, 30 (1), 71-84. https://doi.org/10.1515/rose-2022-2072
8. Heimer, C. A. (2023). Where Law and Morality Meet: Moral Agency and Moral Deskilling in Organizations. In Handbook of the Sociology of Morality (Vol. 2, pp. 43-57). Springer, Cham.
9. Horn, C. (2020). Aristotle on the Legal and Moral Aspects of Law. Ethics in Ancient Greek Literature, 81-100.
10. Iovan, M. (2020). Analysis of the Connections Between Law and Morals, Between Customs and Contemporaneity. Journal of Legal Studies “Vasile Goldiş”, 25(39), 57-68.
11. Karpets, L. A. (2020). Moral guidelines and normative regulation, 21-26. https://dspace.nlu.edu.ua/bitstream/123456789/18803/1/Zb-Superechnosti-2020.pdf
12. Lakhno, V., Blozva, A., Kasatkin, D., Tyshchenko, D., Franchuk, T. (2021). Modified Genetic Algorithm for Solving the Problem of Selecting Hardware and Software for Information Security. CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 3187, 236–243.
13. Law of Ukraine “About the advocacy and advocacy activities” (2012). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/5076-17#Text.
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15. Law of Ukraine “About the notary” (1993). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3425-12#Text.
16. Law of Ukraine “About the prosecutor's office” (2015). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1697-18#Text.
17. Maksimov, S. I. (2019). Transformations of moral and legal culture in modern Ukrainian society. Kharkiv: Pravo, 200 p.
18. Masferrer, A. (Ed.). (2021). Criminal Law and Morality in the Age of Consent: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Vol. 84). Springer Nature.
19. Møller, S. (2023). On law and morality – the case of Nazi legal theory. Jurisprudence, 14(2), 275-281.
20. Moore, J. G. (2020). Hart, Radbruch, and the necessary connection between law and morals. Law and Philosophy, 39, 691-704.
21. Nazar, P., Volodymyr, M., Natalia, T., Yurii, D. (2022). Improving the Assessment of Personnel Security Level and its Control Using Human Intellectual Activity Simulation Model. 12th International Conference on Advanced Computer Information Technologies, 194–197.
22. Odo, C. O., Nwatu, U. L., Makkieh, M., Ametepe, P. E. K., & Banks, S. (2023). Law Versus Morality: Cases and Commentaries on Ethical Issues in Social Work Practice. Ethics and Social Welfare, 17(1), 83-89.
23. Omelchuk, O. M., Haiur, I. Y., Kozytska, O. G., Prysiazhna, A. V., & Khmelevska, N. V. (2022). Analysis of the activities of law enforcement authorities in the field of combating crime and corruption offences. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 25(3), 700-716. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-07-2021-0073
24. Pascal, A. M. (2021). Business and human rights, from theory to practice and law to morality: Taking a philosophical look at the proposed UN treaty. Philosophy of Management, 20, 167-200.
25. Pashayeva, A. (2022). Religion and Law: The Ratio of Law and Morality in Islam. International Journal of Islamic Thought, 22(1), 24-31.
26. Reznik, O. M., Andriichenko, N. S., Zvozdetska, I. V., Zarosylo, V. O., & Hryshko, V. I. (2022). Results and perspectives on policing as part of the national security sector. Revista Juridica Portucalense, 32, 212-227. https://doi.org/10.34625/issn.2183-2705(32)2022.ic-09
27. Roots, L. (2022). Law and Morality: Evolution of LGBT Rights in Estonia, Hungary and Poland: From Communist Past to Current Reality. In Mapping LGBTQ Spaces and Places (pp. 57-71). Springer, Cham.
28. Rottweiler, B., & Gill, P. (2022). Conspiracy beliefs and violent extremist intentions: The contingent effects of self-efficacy, self-control, and law-related morality. Terrorism and Political Violence, 34(7), 1485-1504.
29. Rules of attorney ethics. (2017). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/rada/show/n0001891-17#Text.
30. Rules of professional ethics of notaries of Ukraine. (2021). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z0759-21#Text.
31. Salinger, E. (2022). Moral laws and moral worth. Philosophical Studies, 179(7), 2347-2360.
32. Xhemajli, H. (2021). The Role of Ethics and Morality in Law: Similarities and Differences. Ohio NUL Rev., 48, 81.
33. Zavhorodnii, V. A., Orel, O., Muliar, G., Kotlyar, O. I., & Zarosylo, V. (2022). Application of article 5 of the ECHR to the detention of a person who has committed a criminal offense. Brazilian Journal of International Law, 19(1), 337-353. https://doi.org/10.5102/rdi.v19i1.7757
34. Zipursky, B. C. (2021). From Law to Moral Philosophy in Theorizing about Negligence. Agency, Negligence and Responsibility, 223.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Pavlichenko, I., Maslak, N., Gornostay, A., Melikhova, J., & Slyusarenko, T. (2024). Exploring the nexus between law and morality: ethical considerations in legal studies. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6, 2024ss0733. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2024ss0734

[1] Allan, T. R. (2020). Law as a Branch of Morality: The Unity of Practice and Principle. The American Journal of Jurisprudence, 65(1), 1-17.

[2] Code of judicial ethics (2013). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/rada/show/n0001415-13#Text.

[3] Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct of Prosecutors. (2017). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/n0001900-17#Text.

[4] Dutchak, S., Opolska, N., Shchokin, R., Durman, O., Shevtsiv, M. (2020). International aspects of legal regulation of information relations in the global internet network. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 23(3), 1-7.

[5] Eggert, L. (2022). Law and Morality in Humanitarian Intervention. Legal Theory, 28(4), 298-324.

[6] Floarea, T. (2022). The Relationship between Law and Morality. Scientia moralitas-International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 7(1), 94-100.

[7] Girko, V. L., Shevchuk, B. V., Shevchuk, L. D. (2022). The G-pencil law under G-Lindeberg condition. the canonical equation K_98and G-logarithmic law. Random Operators and Stochastic Equations, 30 (1), 71-84. https://doi.org/10.1515/rose-2022-2072

[8] Heimer, C. A. (2023). Where Law and Morality Meet: Moral Agency and Moral Deskilling in Organizations. In Handbook of the Sociology of Morality (Vol. 2, pp. 43-57). Springer, Cham.

[9] Horn, C. (2020). Aristotle on the Legal and Moral Aspects of Law. Ethics in Ancient Greek Literature, 81-100.

[10] Iovan, M. (2020). Analysis of the Connections Between Law and Morals, Between Customs and Contemporaneity. Journal of Legal Studies “Vasile Goldiş”, 25(39), 57-68.

[11] Karpets, L. A. (2020). Moral guidelines and normative regulation, 21-26. https://dspace.nlu.edu.ua/bitstream/123456789/18803/1/Zb-Superechnosti-2020.pdf

[12] Lakhno, V., Blozva, A., Kasatkin, D., Tyshchenko, D., Franchuk, T. (2021). Modified Genetic Algorithm for Solving the Problem of Selecting Hardware and Software for Information Security. CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 3187, 236–243.

[13] Law of Ukraine “About the advocacy and advocacy activities” (2012). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/5076-17#Text.

[14] Law of Ukraine “About the judiciary and the status of judges” (2016). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1402-19#Text.

[15] Law of Ukraine “About the notary” (1993). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3425-12#Text.

[16] Law of Ukraine “About the prosecutor's office” (2015). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1697-18#Text.

[17] Maksimov, S. I. (2019). Transformations of moral and legal culture in modern Ukrainian society. Kharkiv: Pravo, 200 p.

[18] Masferrer, A. (Ed.). (2021). Criminal Law and Morality in the Age of Consent: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Vol. 84). Springer Nature.

[19] Møller, S. (2023). On law and morality – the case of Nazi legal theory. Jurisprudence, 14(2), 275-281.

[20] Moore, J. G. (2020). Hart, Radbruch, and the necessary connection between law and morals. Law and Philosophy, 39, 691-704.

[21] Nazar, P., Volodymyr, M., Natalia, T., Yurii, D. (2022). Improving the Assessment of Personnel Security Level and its Control Using Human Intellectual Activity Simulation Model. 12th International Conference on Advanced Computer Information Technologies, 194–197.

[22] Odo, C. O., Nwatu, U. L., Makkieh, M., Ametepe, P. E. K., & Banks, S. (2023). Law Versus Morality: Cases and Commentaries on Ethical Issues in Social Work Practice. Ethics and Social Welfare, 17(1), 83-89.

[23] Omelchuk, O. M., Haiur, I. Y., Kozytska, O. G., Prysiazhna, A. V., & Khmelevska, N. V. (2022). Analysis of the activities of law enforcement authorities in the field of combating crime and corruption offences. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 25(3), 700-716. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-07-2021-0073

[24] Pascal, A. M. (2021). Business and human rights, from theory to practice and law to morality: Taking a philosophical look at the proposed UN treaty. Philosophy of Management, 20, 167-200.

[25] Pashayeva, A. (2022). Religion and Law: The Ratio of Law and Morality in Islam. International Journal of Islamic Thought, 22(1), 24-31.

[26] Reznik, O. M., Andriichenko, N. S., Zvozdetska, I. V., Zarosylo, V. O., & Hryshko, V. I. (2022). Results and perspectives on policing as part of the national security sector. Revista Juridica Portucalense, 32, 212-227. https://doi.org/10.34625/issn.2183-2705(32)2022.ic-09

[27] Roots, L. (2022). Law and Morality: Evolution of LGBT Rights in Estonia, Hungary and Poland: From Communist Past to Current Reality. In Mapping LGBTQ Spaces and Places (pp. 57-71). Springer, Cham.

[28] Rottweiler, B., & Gill, P. (2022). Conspiracy beliefs and violent extremist intentions: The contingent effects of self-efficacy, self-control, and law-related morality. Terrorism and Political Violence, 34(7), 1485-1504.

[29] Rules of attorney ethics. (2017). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/rada/show/n0001891-17#Text.

[30] Rules of professional ethics of notaries of Ukraine. (2021). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z0759-21#Text.

[31] Salinger, E. (2022). Moral laws and moral worth. Philosophical Studies, 179(7), 2347-2360.

[32] Xhemajli, H. (2021). The Role of Ethics and Morality in Law: Similarities and Differences. Ohio NUL Rev., 48, 81.

[33] Zavhorodnii, V. A., Orel, O., Muliar, G., Kotlyar, O. I., & Zarosylo, V. (2022). Application of article 5 of the ECHR to the detention of a person who has committed a criminal offense. Brazilian Journal of International Law, 19(1), 337-353. https://doi.org/10.5102/rdi.v19i1.7757

[34] Zipursky, B. C. (2021). From Law to Moral Philosophy in Theorizing about Negligence. Agency, Negligence and Responsibility, 223.

Abstract

References

How to cite