I know there's a word for it, but I don't remember what it is.
What is the word that means the human right to sunlight?
2007-03-28 14:45:36 · 5 answers · asked by ? 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
What you are speaking of is one of the old prescriptive easements that entered our legal history through the ye olde English Common Law of the 1600's and 1700's. Back then there were 4 things you could not do with your land - this was a precursor to the law of nuisance we have in the US today. The 4 things you couldn't do were: 1. block a river/stream flowing through your property, 2. block air from reaching a neighbor's property, 3. dig a hole that would cause your neighbor's property to collapse (subside) into your hole, and 4. block sunlight from reaching your neighbor's property. This last one - the blocking of light - was called the ancient light's doctrine.
Unfortunately this ancient lights doctrine is out of vogue in the US generally, in fact it has been repudiated in something like 48 of the states. As far as I know, the doctrine is only alive in NH (see: Tenn v. 889 Assoc., 500 A 2d 366) and WI (see: Prah v. Maretti, 321 NW 2d 182).
2007-03-28 16:27:27 · answer #1 · answered by Evan R 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Only things I could find was Ancient Lights and Solar easements. Prevents someone from blocking the sunlight and
Ancient lights is an archaic term of property law in England.
Today ancient lights are more usually described as a right of light. They give a long-standing owner of a building with windows a right to maintain the level of illumination but is not generally used to describe as a human right.
The only rights humans have are the ones others give to them or that they take for themselves.
2007-03-28 21:53:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tell that to the prisoners at Supermax in Florence Colorado. The prison is built underground. From the time John Gotti got there til he died he never saw the sun.
2007-03-28 21:50:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are no such things as "basic human rights" under law.
The only legal rights are those guaranteed by law, either statute, case law or in the contitution, and those implied by law.
2007-03-28 21:49:45 · answer #4 · answered by coragryph 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
I've never heard of a human right for sunlight.
maybe a sunright?
coragryph is right about rights, though.
:)
2007-03-28 21:55:42 · answer #5 · answered by joannaserah 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋