Abstract

This paper demonstrate that in procedural contexts of free proof, proof sentences of judicial decision (i.e. sentences of the kind «it is proven that p»), have normative illocutionary force. On the one hand, in that context, «it is proven that p» express a value judgment of the judge. On the other hand, it is shown that «it is proven that p» is, in that context, a practical reason aiming to justify an action of the decision-maker: the acceptance of the factual statement as a premise of the judicial decision.