When government is answerable under the law, the courts are empowered to make the authoritative determination of what the law is. In M v Home Office [1993] 3 WLR 433, the House of Lords had to determine whether the Crown (in this case the Home Secretary) had to obey a court order. Cases such as these, where the courts have carefully and deliberately examined government action and upheld the rule of law, clearly illustrate its aims and importance.