The notion of ‘supremacy of law’ in the student discourse of the National School of Jurisprudence, 1870–1875

Abstract

In the second half of the 19th century, modern law emerged in Mexico, characterized by constitutionalism, codification, and the ‘supremacy of law’, among other notions. The latter concept was developed in various undergraduate theses written by students at the National School of Jurisprudence in order to justify the role assigned to law and the State. However, these documents have been scarcely addressed by historiography. The purpose of this article is to reconstruct the arguments presented in a set of dissertations, from which the notion of ‘supremacy of law’ was partially shaped. The argument put forward here aims to demonstrate that a group of students appealed to legal, historical, and philosophical foundations to show that obedience and submission to the rules were essential for achieving political stability.