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A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth. By contrast, a right is an inherent, irrevocable entitlement held by all citizens or all human beings from the moment of birth. Various older privileges, such as the old common law privilege to title deeds, may still exist, but be of little relevance today^[1]. Etymologically a privilege means a "private law", or rule relating to a specific individual.

In a broader sense, "privilege" can refer to special powers or de facto immunities held as a consequence of political power or wealth. Privilege of this sort may be transmitted by birth into a privileged class or achieved through individual actions. One of the objectives of the French Revolution was the abolition of privilege. This meant the removal of separate laws for different social classes (nobility, clergy and ordinary people), instead subjecting everyone to the same common law. Privileges were abolished by the National Constituent Assembly on August 4, 1789.

One common legal privilege in the United States is protection from the requirement to testify or provide documents in certain situations. (See subpoena duces tecum and privilege (evidence).)

See also

Look up privilege in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Tenure (academic privilege)
• Executive privilege
• Parliamentary privilege
• Privilege (canon law)
• Privilège du blanc
• Privilege of Peerage

Notes

1. ^ Suzanna McNichol, The Law of Privilege (1st ed, 1992)