On the social media site formerly known as Twitter, Eva Chipiuk explains why it’s never a good thing to have your government ever extending the things it is involved in:
Governments going ultra vires should concern every citizen.
Ultra vires means “beyond the powers”. In a democracy, governments and public institutions do not have unlimited authority. They can only exercise the powers the law actually gives them.
Yet increasingly, we see governments, regulators, agencies, and other public bodies stretching their mandates, assuming powers they were never granted, and acting as though their authority is limited only by what they can get away with.
That turns the rule of law on its head.
The question should never be: “Where does the law say government can’t do this?”
The question is: “Where does the law give government the authority to do this?”
That distinction matters.
Government is not above the law. Public institutions are creatures of law, and their power has boundaries. When those boundaries are ignored, courts must enforce them, legislatures must correct them, and citizens must demand accountability.
Because once we accept government exercising powers it was never given, the limits on government become meaningless.
Staying within your legal jurisdiction is not optional. It is the foundation of the rule of law.
