AUTHORITY

authority. 1. The right or permission to act legally on another’s behalf; esp., the power of one

person to affect another’s legal relations by acts done in accordance with the other’s manifestations

of assent; the power delegated by a principal to an agent <authority to sign the contract>. — Also

termed power over other persons. See AGENCY. [Cases: Principal and Agent    96.C.J.S. Agency

• § 148–149.]

“The  term  ‘authority,’  like  the  term  ‘contract,’  may  easily  be  used  in  three  senses,  and  is

therefore a term to be avoided when accurate reasoning  is desirable. It may be used to  mean (1)

the operative acts of the  principal, (2) a physical document executed by the  principal,  or (3) the

legal relations consequent upon the preceding operative facts (1) and (2), and especially the legal

power conferred upon the agent to bring the principal into new legal relations without any further

action by the principal. The operative facts may be spoken  words, a document together with the

acts necessary to execute it, or other conduct by the principal apparently expressing an intention to

create a power. Hereafter, the word ‘authority’ will be used to denote these operative facts; in other

cases the  word power will usually be substituted. This latter word is not so likely to be taken in

shifting senses, in spite of the fact that ‘power of attorney’ generally means a physical document

under seal.” William R. Anson, Principles of the Law of Contract 508 n.1 (Arthur L. Corbin ed.,

3d Am. ed. 1919).

actual authority.Authority that a principal intentionally confers on an agent or authority that

the agent reasonably believes he or she has as a result of the agent’s dealings with the principal. •

Actual authority can be either express or implied. — Also termed real authority. [Cases: Principal

and Agent    96, 99. C.J.S. Agency §§ 148–149, 153–164.]

“Actual authority is such as a principal intentionally confers upon the agent, or intentionally,

or  by  want  of  or-dinary  care,  allows the  agent to  believe  himself  to  possess.”  Cal. Civ.  Code  §

2316.

apparent authority.Authority that a third party reasonably believes an agent has, based on the

third  party’s  dealings  with  the  principal,  even  though  the  principal  did  not  confer  or  intend  to

confer the authority. • Apparent authority can be created by law even when no actual authority has

been conferred. — Also termed ostensible authority; authority by estoppel. [Cases: Principal and

Agent    99. C.J.S. Agency §§ 153–164.]

“The term ‘apparent authority’ means that a legal power is vested in the agent in the absence

of any intention by the principal that it should exist, or even in spite of his intention that it should

not  exist.  The  operative  facts  causing  this  power  to  exist  are  acts  of  the  principal  which,

considered  along  with  surrounding  facts,  induce  the  third  person  with  whom  the  agent  deals  to

believe reasonably that the principal intended the power to exist. The power is real and not merely

apparent. The agent is indeed a  wrongdoer in exercising the  power. He possesses the  power but

not  the  legal  privilege  of  using  it.  Likewise,  the  authority  (meaning  the  action  of  the  principal

creating the agent’s power) is real. It is only the intention of the principal to create such a power

that is merely apparent (i.e., non-existent).” William R. Anson, Principles of the Law of Contract

510 n.1 (Arthur L. Corbin ed., 3d Am. ed. 1919).

“ ‘Apparent authority’ of an insurance agent means such authority as an insurer  knowingly

permits the agent to assume, or which it holds him out as possessing, that is, such authority as he

appears to have by reason of actual authority or such authority as a reasonably prudent man would

suppose  the  agent  to  possess.”  John  Alan  Ap-pleman  &  Jean  Appleman,  Insurance  Law  and

Practice § 8674 (1981).

authority  coupled  with  an  interest.Authority  given  to  an  agent  for  valuable consideration.  •

This authority cannot be unilaterally terminated by the principal. [Cases: Principal and Agent    34.

C.J.S. Agency §§ 114–119.]

constructive authority.Authority that is inferred because of an earlier grant of authority.

express  authority.Authority  given  to  the  agent  by  explicit  agreement,  either  orally  or  in

writing. — Also termed stipulated authority. [Cases: Principal and Agent    96. C.J.S. Agency §§

148–149.]

general authority.A  general agent’s authority,  intended to  apply  to all  matters  arising  in the

course of business.

implied authority.Authority intentionally given by the principal to the agent as a result of the

principal’s  conduct,  such  as  the  principal’s  earlier  acquiescence  to  the  agent’s  actions.  —  Also

termed presumptive authority. [Cases: Principal and Agent    99. C.J.S. Agency §§ 153–164.]

incidental authority.Authority needed to carry out actual or apparent authority. • For example,

the actual authority to borrow money includes the incidental authority to sign commercial paper to

bring about the loan. — Also termed inferred authority. [Cases: Principal and Agent    99. C.J.S.

Agency §§ 153–164.]

inherent authority.Authority of an agent arising from the agency relationship.

naked  authority.Authority  delegated  solely  for  the  principal’s  benefit,  without  giving  any

consideration to the agent. • This authority can be revoked by the principal at any time.

ostensible authority.See apparent authority.

presumptive authority.See implied authority.

real authority.See actual authority.

special authority.Authority limited to an individual transaction.

stipulated authority.See express authority.

supervisory authority.See SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY.

2. Governmental power  or  jurisdiction  <within  the  court’s  authority>.3.  A  governmental

agency  or  corporation  that  administers  a  public  enterprise  <  transit  authority>.  —  Also  termed

public authority. [Cases: Municipal Corporations    2. C.J.S. Municipal Corporations §§ 7–9.]

constituted authority.(often pl.) The legislative, executive, and judicial departments officially

and rightfully  governing a  nation,  people,  municipality,  or other governmental unit; an authority

properly appointed or elected under organic law, such as a constitution or charter.

examining   authority.A   self-regulatory   organization   registered   with   the   Securities   and

Exchange Commission and  vested with the authority to  examine, inspect, and otherwise oversee

the activities of a registered broker or dealer.

4. A legal writing taken as  definitive  or  decisive; esp., a judicial  or administrative  decision A

cited as a precedent <that case is good authority in Massachusetts>. • The term includes not only

the decisions of tribunals but also statutes, ordinances, and administrative rulings. [Cases: Courts

8. C.J.S. Courts § 139; Trade-Marks, Trade-Names, and Unfair Competition § 187.]

adverse authority.Authority that is unfavorable to an advocate’s position. • Most ethical codes

require counsel to  disclose  adverse authority  in  the  controlling  jurisdiction  even  if  the  opposing

counsel has not cited it.

imperative authority.Authority that is absolutely binding on a court. — Also termed binding

authority. Cf. binding precedent under PRECEDENT.

persuasive authority.Authority that carries some weight but is not binding on a court.

“It may be well to call attention to the fact that the word ‘authority’ is used by lawyers in at

least two senses, one abstract and the other concrete. The word [in its concrete sense] refer[s] to

the book  or other repository to which one resorts to find propositions of law, and sometimes the

word  is  used  in  an  even  narrower  sense  to  mean  reported  cases.  In  its  abstract  sense,  however,

‘authority’ is substantially equivalent to ‘influence’ or ‘power,’ and in this sense ‘authority’ may be

divided into two grades, in that the force of a statement of law is either imperative (that is to say,

absolutely  binding  upon  the  courts)  or  simply  persuasive.  The  use  of  the  terms  ‘primary’  and

‘secondary’ authority, as applied in the concrete sense, must not be confused with the use of the

terms ‘imperative’ and ‘persuasive’ authority, as used in the abstract sense. That is to say, a book

of primary authority may be either imperative or persuasive, according to the circumstances … , or

it  may  be  of  no  force  at  all.  Books  of  secondary  authority  are,  in  the  nature  of  things,  usually

merely of persuasive authority.” William M. Lile et al., Brief Making and the Use of Law Books

12 (3d ed. 1914).

primary authority.Authority that issues directly from a law-making body; legislation and the

reports of litigated cases.

secondary authority.Authority that explains the law but does not itself establish it, such as a

treatise, annotation, or law-review article.

5. A source,  such  as  a  statute,  case,  or  treatise,  cited  in  support  of  a  legal  argument  <the

brief’s table of authorities>.[Blacks Law 8th]