Constitutional Justice East And West

How can the power of constitutional judges to overturn parliamentary choices on the basis of their own reading of the constitution, be reconciled with fundamental democratic principles which assign the supreme role in the political system to parliaments? This time-honoured question acquired a new significance when the post-commumst countries of Central and Eastern Europe, without exception, adopted constitutional models in which constitutional courts play a very significant role, at least in theory. Can we learn something about the relationship between democracy and constitutionalism in general, from the meteoric rise of constitutional tribunals in the post-communist countries? Can the discussions and controversies relating to constitutional review which have been going on for decades in more established democracies illuminate the sources of the strength of constitutional courts in Central and Eastern Europe? These questions lie at the center of this book, which focuses on the question of constitutional review in postcommunist states, from a theoretical and comparative perspective. The chapters contained in the book outline the conceptual framework for analyzing the sources, the role and the legitimacy of constitutional justice in a system of political democracy. From this perspective, it assesses the experience of constitutional justice in the West (where the model originated) and in Central and Eastern Europe, where the model has been implanted after the fail of Communism.

Constitutional courts: forms, functions and practice in comparative perspective Andrew Harding, Peter Leyland and Tania Groppi -- Austria: the constitutional court of Austria: modern profiles of an archetype of constitutional review Anna Gamber and Francesco Palermo -- Central and Eastern Europe: constitutional courts of Central and Eastern Europe: between adolescence and maturity Kasia Lach and Wojchiech Sadurski -- France: The French Conseil constitutionnel: an evolving form of constitutional justice Marie Claire Ponthoreau and Fabrice Hourquebie -- Germany: Das Bundsverfassungsgericht: procedure, practice and policy of the German federal constitutional court Donald P Kommers and Russel A Miller -- Italy: the Italian constitutional court: towards a 'multilevel system' of constitutional review Tania Groppi -- Russia: the constitutional court of the Russian Federation: the establishment and evolution of constitutional supervision in Russia Jane Henderson -- Spain: the Spanish constitutional court: time for reforms Victor Ferreres Comella -- Turkey: the constitutional court of Turkey: the Anayasa Mahkemesi as the protector of the system Esin Örücü -- Egypt: Egypt's supreme constitutional court: managing constitutional conflict in an authoritarian aspirationally 'Islamic' state Clark B Lombardi -- Francophone Africa: models of constitutional jurisdiction in francophone West Africa Babacar Kanté -- South Africa: South Africa's constitutional court: enabling democracy and promoting law in the transition from Apartheid Heinz Klug -- East Asia: constitutional courts in East Asia: understanding variation Tom Ginsburg -- Indonesia and Thailand: the constitutional courts of Thailand and Indonesia: two case studies from South East Asia Andrew Harding and Peter Leyland -- Constitutional courts in Latin America: a testing ground for new parame++

This book compares the constitutional justice institutions in 16 West African states and analyses the diverse ways in which these institutions render justice and promote democratic development. There is no single best approach: different legal traditions tend to produce different design options. It also seeks to facilitate mutual learning and understanding among countries in the region, especially those with different legal systems, in efforts to frame a common West African system. The authors analyse a broad spectrum of issues related to constitutional justice institutions in West Africa. While navigating technical issues such as competence, composition, access, the status of judges, the authoritative power of these institutions and their relationship with other institutions, they also take a novel look at analogous institutions in pre-colonial Africa with similar functions, as well as the often-taboo subject of the control and accountability of these institutions.

This book focuses on the interaction and mutual influences between the East and the West in terms of their legal systems and practices. In this regard, it highlights Professor Herbert H.P. Ma’s achievements and his efforts to bring Eastern and Western legal concepts and systems closer together. The book shows that, while there have been convergences between different legal regimes in many fields of law, diverse legal practices and approaches rooted in differing cultural, social, political and philosophical backgrounds do remain, and that these differences are not necessarily negative elements in the contemporary legal order. By examining different levels of the legal order, including domestic, regional and multilateral, it goes on to argue that identifying these diversities and addressing the interactions and mutual influences between different regimes is a worthwhile undertaking, not only in terms of mutual enrichment, but also with regard to intensifying the degree of desirable coordination between different legal systems. All chapters were written by leading experts, practitioners and scholars from different jurisdictions with expertise in various fields of law and different levels of the legal order, and discuss a number of issues with particular focus on either “one-way” or mutual influences between the Eastern and the Western legal systems, practices and philosophies.

A comparative perspective of role played by three generations of European Constitutional Courts in the process of transition to democracy.

Dworkin's important book is a collection of essays which discuss almost all of the great constitutional issues of the last two decades, including abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, homosexuality, pornography, and free speech. Dworkin offers a consistently liberal view of the Constitution and argues that fidelity to it and to law demands that judges make moral judgments. He proposes that we all interpret the abstract language of the Constitution by reference to moral principles about political decency and justice. His 'moral reading' therefore brings political morality into the heart of constitutional law. The various chapters of this book were first published separately; now drawn together they provide the reader with a rich, full-length treatment of Dworkin's general theory of law.