CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS IN CHINA

Chinese scholars have carried out studies on constitutional conventions from three perspectives. The first perspective is to study in general terrr~, that is, to touch upon this theme while studying the principles and basic theories of the Constitution. The second perspective is to study while researching comparative constitutions, especially the British Constitution. The third perspective is connected with studies on constitutional resources in China. Until now there is no monograph dedicated to this theme; it is mostly seen in academic papers, textbooks and works on basic theories. Traditional studies tend to be confined to e：,~emplifying constitutional conventions and approaching this theme from a mainly static perspective that emphasizes their form of expression of an unwritten Constitution and the complementary parts of a written Constitution. Relatively, studies on the manifestations, normative characteristics, origins and evolutionary rules, as well as those on the legal and social functions of constitutional conventions are weaker. This causes a lack of explanatory power with regard to all kinds of emerging constitutional conventions in the constitutional practice of different states. In recent years this picture has changed to some extent. Chinese scholars have begun to concentrate on the origins and evolutionary rules of constitutional conventions, trying to understand accurately its legal non＇nativity and political modesty, in order to get the essence of constitutional conventions. Main areas of study in this respect will be discussed below.     

美国司法系统运作的七项原则

1. The rule Of LawIt includes a they of remenized or established statutes, rulesand regUlations to which all citizens are subject and which areapplied objectively by judgeS acting through established procedures. Under it the rights of citizens will be upheld by law.2. Seperation of PowersEach of three branches of govement has seperate and distinctresponsibilities and functions. The legislative branch makeslaws, the executive branch enforces these laws; and the judicialbranch interprets the …     

The environmental rights entered in the constitutions： A critique

Although environmental law is a relatively a new field of scholarship in South Africa, it is growing rapidly. The right to access to social security including environmental rights is found in the South African Bill of Rights, is being amplified by legislative and constitutional reforms, and developing case law in the courts. There is therefore a clear need to increase the understanding of the discipline through systematic research and teaching at various levels.1 The notion of including an “environmental right” in a domestic constitution is not novel in Africa. Most African countries have incorporated a constitutional provision that ensures the right to a healthy environment. Most of the problems that exist with environmental rights under the international and regional systems are absent under the domestic South African system. The way in which environmental rights have been formulated in international instruments, section 24 of the South African Constitution has been framed as an individual right and not as a collective one. Environmental degradation often affects groups of people and it could consequently argue that the right should protect groups and not just individuals.2     

The right to a fair criminal trial： A South African perspective

The right to a free and fair trial is one of the most basic human fights afforded to mankind. In South Africa, prior to 1994, this right was afforded to accused persons by common law only. The criminal justice system in South Africa however has been changing radically since 1994 due to the inception of first the Interim Constitution and later the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. South Africa has a history of human rights abuses-also with regard to criminal trials. The right to a fair trial is now constitutionally enshrined and protected by the Bill of Rights. As a result thereof the application of this right by the South African courts has also changed and what would have passed muster in this regard prior to 1994 would not necessarily do so now. This paper seeks to explain what the right to a fair criminal trial in a democratic South Africa entails with reference to South Africa＇s international obligations in this regard as well as the provisions of the South African Constitution and case law.     

PROPERTY RIGHTS IN CHINA'S CONFLICT OF LAWS

China's new private international law adds choice of law provisions for property.Most of the provisions are innovative.They further clarify the general legal provisions applicable to property with a focus on regulating movable property and commercial securities.The choice of law rules for property comply with relevant international legislation as far as possible.At the time,certain individual provisions are not well drafted and they are inconsistent with current domestic substantive laws.The principle of parties' autonomy was first introduced to the fieM of "movable property"and "movable property in transit,"but it seems goes too far.In light of the gradual opening up of China's securities market,the new law stipulates applicable laws to commercial securities,but it did not take into account the indirect holding system of securities.     

A review of developments and changes in the world＇s constitutions

The constitution is a living document, which being the case, there is a need to increase the understanding of the constitution through systematic research and teaching at various levels. This paper aims to be a catalyst that inspires creative action to claim and advance certain new constitutional rights encapsulated in various world＇s constitutions. It seeks to raise awareness of new constitutional rights. World＇s most constitutions have incorporated constitutional provisions that ensure the entrenched new fundamental human rights. The latest constitutions, including South African constitution of 1996 are advanced and have included significant number of rights which were left out in the old constitutions. The courts are given the widest possible powers to develop and forge new remedies for protection of constitutional rights and the enforcement of constitutional duties.     

Using court culture to strengthen the administration of trial courts

Managerial culture defines the character of administrative practices in trial courts, shaping the way cases are handled, participants in the legal process are treated, and how a court functions as an institution. In fact, the notion of local legal culture is part of the conventional wisdom. What is missing in such discussions are the benefits of a comprehensive methodological approach to translate rich ideas and hunches into the measurement of court culture. In response, researchers at the National Center for State Courts have developed an analytical framework including a conceptual typology of culture, an instrument for measuring managerial culture and a schema for interpreting results within and between courts. The essay concludes with an invitation for the People＇s Republic of China to adapt the framework to understand the nature of culture in their courts of first instance.     

FOCUS： PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN CHINA PUNITIVE DAMAGES,CHINESE TORT LAW,AND THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

In a country such as China, with abundant consumer products and the inevitability of product defects, claims for punitive damages are sure to arise under Article 47 of the new Chinese Tort Law. Article 47 provides that ＂（w）hereany producer or seller knowingly produces or sells defective products, causing death or serious damage to the health of others, the injured party may request appropriate punitive damages.＂ As Chinese jurists and scholars interpret Article 47, they may wish to consider whether lessons can be drawn from the American experience. During the past two decades, few areas of American law have changed more radically than the law on punitive damages. While there were once few restraints on the ability of a judge or jury to impose punitive damages in a case involving egregious conduct, today there are a host of limitations embodied in American state and federal law. In many American states, statutes or judicial decisions restrict the ability of a court to award punitive damages by narrowly defining the types of conduct that will justify a punitive award, raising the standard of proof capping the amount of punitive damages, requiring a portion of a punitive award to be forfeited to the state, or limiting vicarious liability for punitive damages. In addition, under federal constitutional law, the principle of due process limits the imposition of punitive damages by scrutinizing the ratio between compensatory and punitive damages and prohibiting an award to be based on harm to persons other than the plaintiff. An examination of these developments from a comparative law perspective may prove useful to the implementation of Article 47.     

THE HEDGEHOG DILEMMA IN THE COURT-MEDIA RELATIONSHIP IN CHINA

This paper explains why Schopenhauer＇s ＂Hedgehog Dilemma＂ may be the most apposite metaphor for the relationship between the courts and the media. Whatever they get from each other, the media＇s role representing the public and the court＇s role representing justice are both essential to modern democracy. Therefore, their relationship has attracted attention, not just in legal and media professions, but also in public and government debate. In the last two decades, China ＇s highest court has issued judicial interpretations and guidelines to regulate the activities of the media and the court, which has brought the topic to a new level of discussion. As a drafter of these official documents, the author will comment on development in this field and their interaction with values inherent to democracy.     

The expression of cultural and religious practice： A constitutional test

Various conventions and national constitutions are differently worded and the interpretation of national constitutions, in particular, reflects different approaches to the concepts of equality and non-discrimination. Different approaches adopted in the different national jurisdictions arise not only from different textual provisions and from different historical circumstances, but also from different jurisprudential and philosophical understanding of equality. The jurisprudence of courts makes clear that the proper reach of the equality right must be determined by reference to the society＇s history and the underlying values of the Constitution. It has been observed that a major constitutional object is the creation of a non-racial and non-sexist egalitarian society underpinned by human dignity, the rule of law, a democratic ethos and human rights. From there emerges a concept of equality that goes beyond mere formal equality and mere non-discrimination which requires identical treatment, whatever the starting point or impact. The question is, how does the state, in limiting religious freedom, conform to the standards of an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom？ The hope is that the conclusion of this paper will then be able to be extended to more controversial cases, in particular, involving limits on the right to freedom of expression, culture and belief.     

General analysis and recommendations on China＇s legal implementation mechanism for wetland biodiversity conservation

China has not formulated a comprehensive specific legislation on wetland conservation and wise use, however many laws and regulations are relevant to wetland conservation, such as Forest Law （1983）, Law on Land Administration （1986）. The dispersed multi-sectoral management model defined and the single resource element based management reflected in the existing legislation cannot meet the requirement for integrated wetland conservation and the needs to conserve the ecological function of wetlands. Also the major deficiencies of the existing legal implementation mechanism can be found in wetland conservation plan, public participation, operational and enforcement measures. Based on the problems, there should be provision on the responsibility of the forestry department to compile and implement wetland conservation plans, and its responsibility to cooperate with other relevant government agencies in planning. There should be specific or expanded provisions on the procedures and phases of public participation. In addition, there should be provision on litigation channels to expand the form of the public rights, and enabling mechanisms to safeguard the public rights. The improvement of relevant approaches should focus on the shift from administrative regulatory approaches towards multiple approaches combining administrative regulation, economic incentive and administrative supervision. The improvement on establishment of operational and enforcement authority should focus on the shift from substantial authorization towards both substantial and procedural authorization. There should be more specific and clear provision on the awarding measures, to fill the gaps of existing legislation and to strengthen the accountability of government agencies. In addition, this article gives specific recommendations on provisions on the systems of wetland conservation and legal implementation mechanism.     

THE IMPACT OF LEGISLATIVE CHANGE ON ADJUDICATION PROVISIONS AND THE REQUIREMENT FOR WRITTEN CONTRACTS UNDER THE NEW CONSTRUCTION ACT

The deletion of Section 107 of Part II of the Housing, Grants and Construction Act 1996 will have a profound effect on the requirements for contracts in writing under the adjudication provisions of the new Construction Act 2009. This paper presents a reflection on the legal provisions and case law concerning the requirement for contracts in writing under the provision of the 1996 Act, against the backdrop of new rules encompassing oral and partly-oral agreements between parties. While the new provisions are unlikely to have an impact in cases where there are formal contracts which incorporate adjudication clauses, the changes are more likely to have an impact where there letters of intent are involved and where contracts in writing are based on standard terms and conditions supplemented by oral agreements. While the legislative changes may not have an impact on the role of the Adjudicator, it may affect their modus operandi, requiring more efforts to ascertain the precise intentions of the parties under dispute.     

THE PROCEDURE OF THE CONTROLE OF THE DELEGATED LEGISLATION IN LAW-MAKING PROCESS IN ROMANIA

The special legislative procedures deviate from common rules, from the ordinary legislative procedure. The special legal procedures include： the additional legislative procedure to review the law, the assumption of responsibility by the Government, the legislative delegation procedure, the emergency procedure, and the adoption of constitutional laws, of organic laws, of financial laws and of laws to ratify international treaties.     

THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE RIGHT TO EQUALITY,PRIVACY AND DIGNITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

This study seeks to explore the impact of the South African Constitution on the people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. 1 The main focus is based on the Constitution and the Jurisprudence of the South African Constitutional Court. Besides the jurisprudence of this superior court, references will be made, in appropriate situations, to the jurisprudence of relevant inferior and foreign courts.     

The law and its interpretation do play a role in the elimination of xenophobia： A South African case study

The examination of certain legal aspects of xenophobia has shown that the law and its judicial interpretation do on the one hand server to safeguard against xenophobia and to eliminate it where it still prevails, on the other hand they can however serve to entrench it~. It is believed that in future, South African courts will continue to be proactive in the elimination of xenophobic tendencies wherever they may be encountered in the legal context and that law reform will eradicate laws which generate the impression that they are xenophobically motivated.     

THE EXCLUSION OR INCLUSION OF SELOBEDU LANGUAGE FROM SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTITUTION AS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE： A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

This paper demonstrates the challenges faced by the Commission for the promotion of Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities. This is one＇of the Chapter 9 institutions in the South African Constitution with a mandate to guard democracy. Languages play a crucial part in promoting and attaining the goals of building democracy and nation. It also protects and develops South African uniquely diverse culture. The use and development of languages is closely linked to the development of culture and identity. This paper also refers to other relevant Acts passed by the state which regulate culture and languages. This paper further endeavours to thoroughly scrutinise the relevant provisions of the South African Constitution which either expressly or impliedly refers to the use of languages, and further examines whether the exclusion of the Selobedu language an official language in the Constitution violates or triumph upon those rights. It further makes comparative study with other countries, especially with countries where the constitution stipulates the official languages of that country, and also differentiates between an official and national language.     

Constitutional enforcement of socio-economic rights： South African case study

The entrenchment of socio-economic rights in the South African Constitution is a critique. It is submitted that a constitution that pretends to guarantee rights which cannot be judicially enforced should not be considered a serious legal document. In this paper, particular attention is paid to the far-reaching judgment by the Constitutional Court in Mazibuko and others v The City of Johannesburg. The questions posed and answered relate to issues such as the enforceability of socio-economic rights entrenched in the constitutions.     

THE PRESS AND THE JUDICIARY： COURT AND JUDICIAL REPORTS IN THE PREss IN ENGLAND AND WALES

Western scholars have argued that image making and image management are a preoccupation of the judiciary. Images of the judiciary may take a variety of forms and be produced for kinds of audiences. One form of judicial image making and image management is live performances in the courtroom and other court settings. Another is the written judgment where the preoccupation is the style of the written text. Press and other mass media reports of judicial activity are another. The audience for judicial images is equally diverse, from fellow judges, lawyers in the courts and the wider legal community, the litigants before the courts to the executive, legislature and the public both in the courtroom and beyond. The image of the judiciary that is available to the public has a particular significance in Western rule of law democracies. As a general rule courts and the judiciary are required to operate in public and their activities must be open to public scrutiny. A recent policy manifestation of this goal is debated about confidence in the justice system and initiatives designed to improve confidence. In the majority of cases public scrutiny of judicial activity and public confidence in the judiciary relies upon the media. Objective and accurate press and media reports play a key role in shaping public understanding of the judiciary and generating or undermining confidence in that institution. Reports in regional and national newspapers have long been an important source of information, shaping public knowledge and facilitating public scrutiny of the justice system. In the UK, there is almost no scholarship on these representations past or present. The result is little known about the representation of the courts and the judiciary in press reports. Little is known about what the diligent reader of these reports can learn about judicial activity. The aim of this article is to take a first step towards changing that state of affairs. It uses a data set made up of 205 contemporary domestic newspaper reports of court and judi     

TOWARDS A NEW CONCESSIONS REGIME IN THE EU： ABOUT THE MERITS AND SHORTCOMINGS OF THE CONCESSIONS＇ DIRECTIVE

The European Commission published a proposal at the end of2011 for a self-standing directive on the awarding of concessions in the context of the revision of the public procurement framework. With the aim of harmonizing rules and developing minimum standards based on the EU primary law and ECJ case law, the purpose of the proposed directive was, according to the Commission, to ensure more transparency and legal certainty in all Member States in awarding concessions and enhance the development of PPPs （Public-Private Partnerships） 1 However, negotiations on the proposal for a concessions directive proved to be difficult. The text2 finally adopted on February 26, 2014 stems from three compromises： 1. Within the European Commission, between a fully fledged approach and a so-called ＂light approach ＂; 2. within the Council between Member States in favor of a detailed directive for the sake of easy transposition, and Member States reluctant to the very directive, whose added value was challenged either by fear of amending their own existing national legislation on concessions or, conversely, by fear of putting at risk existing contracts awarded without open tender; 3. within the European Parliament, as the rather technical issue of public procurement became a politically driven debate on both the principle of subsidiarity and the legitimacy of private operators to manage services of general interest. As a result of a complex deal brokered by the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament, the main merit of the directive is its existence. In the light of the numerous exclusions to its scope, it remains to be seen whether some of its promising provisions regarding the definition, the award and the life of concessions will facilitate on the ground the development of transparent, performing concessions projects. At the end of the day, options to be embraced by the Member States for the transposition of the concessions directive will be a key element in the success and use of the new legal concessions reg     

Imagining the law and the constitution of societal order in Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker＇s 1965 ＂Crime and the Great Society＂ address

Legal scholar James Boyd White has challenged both lawyers and rhetoricians to imagine the law as an enterprise of language. In contending that members of the legal profession should see law as an activity of speech and imagination occurring in a social world, he has urged lawyers to view the legal profession as an interaction of authoritative texts and as a process of legal thought and argument instead of thinking of law as a technical system of regulations and applying its rules in a mechanical way. By asking members of the legal professional to consider law as rhetoric, White has encouraged them to recognize the socially constitutive nature of language, which runs contrary to a perspective of law as machine or, rather, the law as only a mechanistic system of rules and regulations. His ideas have inspired the ＂law and literature＂ movement, which has motivated other scholars to analyze the texts of judicial opinions, for example, according to White＇s theories. However, this essay takes White＇s concept of imagining the law and applies it public address and, specifically, to the 1965 ＂Crime and the Great Society＂ speech given by former Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker. Chief Parker＇s address reveals a vision for the City of Los Angeles in which Parker, himself, asks his audience of citizens and civic leaders to share for advancing a specific agenda for law enforcement＇s role in society.