This is a partial list of Roman laws. A Roman law (Latin: lex) is usually named for the sponsoring legislator and designated by the adjectival form of his gens name (nomen gentilicum), in the feminine form because the noun lex (plural leges) is of feminine grammatical gender. When a law is the initiative of the two consuls, it is given the name of both, with the nomen of the senior consul first. Sometimes a law is further specified by a short phrase describing the content of the law, to distinguish that law from others sponsored by members of the same gens.
Roman laws
{ | class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Name ! data-sort-type=isoDate | Date ! Passed by ! Magistracy held ! Description |- |Lex Regia |759–509 BC | |Kings of Rome |Laws enacted by the Roman kings before the Republic. |- |Lex Valeria |509, 449, & 300 BC |P. Valerius Publicola |Consul |Granted every Roman citizen legal right to appeal against a capital sentence, defined and confirmed the right of appeal (provocatio). |- |Lex Sacrata |494 BC | | |law after first secession of the plebeians that either affirmed the sacrosanctity of the tribunes or established the plebeians as a sworn confederacy against patricians. |- |Lex Publilia |471 BC |Volero Publilius |Tribune of the plebs |Transferred the election of the tribunes of the plebs to the comitia tributa. |- |Lex Icilia de Aventino publicando |456 BC |L. Icilius |Tribune of the plebs |Gave land to plebeians. |- |Lex Aternia Tarpeia |454 BC |A. Aternius Varus & S. Tarpeius Montanus Capitolinus |Consuls |Allowed magistrates to fine citizens, but set maximum fines. |- |Lex Menenia Sestia |452 BC |T. Menenius Lanatus & P. Sestius Capitolinus Vaticanus |Consuls |Scale for fines, 1 ox = 12 sheep = 100 lb. of bronze. |- |Lex Valeria Horatia |449 BC |L. Valerius Potitus & M. Horatius Barbatus |Consuls |Three laws: (1) Lex Valeria Horatia de plebiscitis: established that the resolutions passed by the Plebeian Council were binding on all. (2) Lex Valeria Horatia de provocatione: granted the right to appeal to the People of any decision of magistrates. (3) Lex Valeria Horatia de tribunicia potestate: restored the potestas tribunicia, the powers of the plebeian tribunes. |- |Lex Trebonia |448 BC |L. Trebonius |Tribune of the plebs |Forbade the cooptation of additional tribunes of the plebs to fill vacant positions. |- |Lex Canuleia |445 BC |C. Canuleius |Tribune of the plebs |Allowed patricians and plebeians to intermarry. |- |Lex Aemilia de censoribus |434 BC |Mam. Aemilius Mamercinus |Dictator |Reduced the terms of censors to a year and a half. |- |Lex Papiria Julia |430 BC |L. Papirius Crassus & L. Julius Iulus |Consuls |Made payment of fines in bronze mandatory. |- |lex Licinia Sextia |367 BC |C. Licinius Stolo & L. Sextius Lateranus |Tribunes of the plebs |Four laws: (1) Lex de consule altero ex plebe et de praetore ex patribus creando: resumed the consulship and opened it to plebeians, and created the praetorship, reserved to patricians. (2) Lex de aere alieno: provided that the interest already paid on debts should be deducted from the principal and that the payment of the rest of the principal should be in three equal annual instalments. (3) Lex de modo agrorum: restricted individual ownership of public land in excess of 500 iugeras (300 acres) and forbade the grazing of more than 100 cattle on public land. (4) Lex de Decemviri Sacris Faciundis: created the Decemviri sacris faciundis, a college of ten priests, of whom five had to be plebeians. |- |Lex Genucia |342 BC |L. Genucius |Tribune of the plebs |Three laws: (1) Abolished interest on loans. (2) Required the election of at least one plebeian consul each year. (3) Prohibited a magistrate from holding two magistracies in the same year, or the same magistracy for the next ten years (until 332). |- | Leges Publiliae |Lex Publilia |339 BC |Q. Publilius Philo |Consul and dictator |Three laws: (1) Reserved one censorship to plebeians. (2) Made plebiscites binding on all citizens (including patricians). (3) Stated that the Senate had to give its prior approval (the Auctoritas patrum) to plebiscites before becoming binding on all citizens (the lex Valeria Horatia of 449 had placed this approval after plebiscites). |- |Lex Poetelia Papiria|326 BC |C. Poetelius Libo & L. Papirius Cursor |Consuls |Abolished the contractual form of Nexum, or debt bondage. |- |Lex Ovinia |312 BC (before) |Ovinius |Tribune of the plebs |Transferred the right to appoint Senators from the consuls to the censors. |- |Lex Atilia Marcia|311 BC |L. Atilius & C. Marcius Rutilus Censorinus |Tribunes of the plebs |Empowered the people to elect sixteen military tribunes for each of four legions. |- |Lex Ogulnia|300 BC |Cn. & Q.