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Robert's Rules of Order and Parliamentary Procedure is a book containing rules of order, intended to be adopted by a deliberative assembly as its parliamentary authority.
History and origins
The first edition of the book was published in February, 1876 by U.S. Army Major Henry Martyn Robert (1837–1923); its procedures were loosely modeled after those used in the United States House of Representatives. Major Robert wrote the book after presiding over a church meeting and discovering that delegates from different areas of the country did not agree about proper procedure.
Explanation
The book is designed for use in ordinary societies rather than legislative assemblies, and it is the most commonly adopted parliamentary authority among societies in the United States. The book claims to be a codification of the Common Law of Parliamentary Procedure; however, courts have ruled it is only persuasive and not binding upon assemblies that have not formally adopted it, and this is reflected in recent editions"Although it is unwise for an assembly or a society to attempt to function without formally adopted rules of order, a recognized parliamentary manual may be cited under such conditions as persuasive." - Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th edition, page 16, lines 23-26.
Subsequent editions
Through a family trust, and later through the Robert's Rules Association, several subsequent editions of Robert's work have been published; the current edition is Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, Tenth Edition (2000) (paperback ISBN 0-7382-0307-6; hardcover ISBN 0-7382-0384-X). Since the copyrights for several of the original editions have expired, numerous other books and manuals have been published incorporating "Robert's Rules of Order" as part of their titles, some of them based on those earlier editions. This sometimes causes confusion, as those assemblies that have adopted Robert's Rules of Order have actually adopted the current revision of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised"This Tenth (10th) edition supersedes all previous editions and is intended automatically to become the parliamentary authority in organizations whose bylaws prescribe "Robert's Rules of Order", "Robert's Rules of Order Revised", "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised", or "the current edition of" any of these titles, or the like, without specifying a particular edition." - Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th edition, page ii, and other manuals may differ in detail from that book.
See also
- Rules of order: there are other common sets of rules of procedure
Notes and references
External links
- "Official Robert's Rules Of Order Web Site" Site of the Robert family trust
- Sites providing full text of older editions:
- Constitution.org, Robert's Rules of Order Revised Full text of 1915 (4th) ed.
- RulesOnline Full text of 1915 (4th) ed., and other resources
- Bartleby.com: Full text of Robert's Rules Of Order Full text of 1915 (4th) ed.
- Parliamentary Procedure Online
"Robert's Rules of Order"