Jump to Content Jump to Main Navigation
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law [MPECCoL]

Executive Privilege

Lisa Webley, Virginia Williams

Content type:
Encyclopedia entries
Product:
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law [MPECCoL]
Article last updated:
October 2018

From: Oxford Constitutions (http://oxcon.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2023. All Rights Reserved.date: 11 December 2024

Subject(s):
Executive independence — Executive privilege — Heads of state and government — Immunities — Legislative oversight of the executive

General Editors: Rainer Grote, Frauke Lachenmann, Rüdiger Wolfrum
Managing Editor: Martina Mantovani

1. Executive privilege is a common law constitutional principle that permits some members of the executive, usually the most senior members such as a president, prime minister, or senior ministers, to withhold certain forms of communication or information from either the courts, from the legislature, or from both, where disclosure of these confidential communications would adversely affect the executive’s exercise of its functions. In some instances, it is also claimed as a constitutional basis for members of the executive to refuse to appear to answer questions...
Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content. Please subscribe, or log in via the Sign in panel on the left of this screen to access all subscribed content.