Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question explores the fundamental building blocks of legal relationships.
It asks us to identify the "raw materials" from which the law creates rights and duties.
In legal theory, rights and duties do not exist in isolation.
They require a concrete basis to be recognized by the state.
Step 2: Key Concepts and Approach:
We must analyze the relationship between facts and the creation of legal rights.
A legal right or duty is always vested in a person by virtue of some underlying event or occurrence.
According to prominent jurists like John Salmond, facts are the source of all rights and duties.
Therefore, we need to evaluate which option represents these primary raw materials.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
• Facts as the Foundation: In legal theory, facts are the basic events or circumstances that the law recognizes as having legal consequences.
• Facts vs. Law: Law acts upon facts to generate legal consequences, which are expressed in the form of rights, duties, liabilities, or powers.
• Salmond's View: Salmond points out that the law must have some basis or facts upon which to operate. Without a factual matrix, no right can be claimed and no duty can be imposed.
• Role of Judgments: Judgments are decisions of the court that declare or enforce existing rights and duties based on proven facts. They are not the raw materials themselves.
• Role of Documents: Documents are merely evidence or instruments used to prove facts or record transactions. They represent facts but are not the raw materials in an abstract jurisprudential sense.
• Conclusion: Thus, facts are the fundamental raw materials that serve as the antecedent condition for the creation of any legal right or duty.
Step 4: Final Answer:
Hence, facts are the raw materials based on which law creates rights and duties.