Uses of Macro Social Theory: A Social Housing Case Study

This article reflects on the use of macro social theoretical perspectives to explain micro social issues, using social housing allocations as a case study. In contrast to a number of social theoretical examinations of social housing allocation schemes in recent years, spanning socio‐legal studies, we argue that ‘cookie‐cutter’ theories may overlook other positions and counter‐factual scenarios. We draw on a sample of local authority allocation schemes to reflect on the growing category of households (commonly termed ‘unhouseables’ by housing officers) which are excluded from appearing on such schemes because of their former housing deviance or some other disqualification. We offer a set of reflections grounded in our data, which focus on sustainability. Thus, rather than point to particular rationalities or the like, we offer particular housing issues as explanatory factors – including the declining stock and financial ‘competitiveness’ of social housing management – as well as a rise in punitiveness.     

区块链纠纷的民事管辖权配置:法理创新与立法应对

区块链的自动性与透明性特性使其具有增强交易主体彼此之间信任的功能,在民商事领域内被广泛推广,由此触发了越来越多的区块链纠纷。当前流行以区块链社区自治作为解决此类纠纷的管辖手段,其理论依据是区块链初创者主张的"新主权主义"。该理论过于强调区块链社区管辖,从而排除司法的管辖。需要重新审视区块链社区管辖权与司法管辖权之间的辩证统一关系,实现司法管辖为主、社区自治为辅的和谐统一。基于区块链自身的特性,一般法院管辖中的"原告就被告"原则难以适用,专属法院管辖于法无据,应通过修改相关法律来解决这些难题,包括拓展原告所在地管辖原则的适用和增加新的管辖连接点,以及在条件成熟之际建立区块链法院,实现区块链纠纷的专属管辖。     

国有土地上房屋征收的法律问题与对策

房屋征收应当明确建设单位作为征收请求人的应有法律地位及征收决定人的范围、权限,同时也应明确建设用地使用权的征收标的地位,赋予房屋承租人等征收关系人以补偿权。房屋征收应贯彻比例原则,设置独立的协议价购程序和公益决定程序。征收决定诉讼和补偿决定诉讼应明确案件的级别管辖、司法审查的内容、诉讼结果的处理。补偿协议属于民事合同,补偿协议诉讼为民事诉讼。最高人民法院应尽快出台相关司法解释,解决司法强制搬迁中面临的诸多法律问题。     

Constitutional democracy and the legitimacy of judicial review

It has long been argued that the institution of judicial review is incompatible with democratic institutions. This criticism usually relies on a procedural conception of democracy, according to which democracy is essentially a form of government defined by equal political rights and majority rule. I argue that if we see democracy not just as a form of government, but more basically as a form of sovereignty, then there is a way to conceive of judicial review as a legitimate democratic institution. The conception of democracy that stems from the social contract tradition of Locke, Rousseau, Kant and Rawls, is based in an ideal of the equality, independence, and original political jurisdiction of all citizens. Certain equal basic rights, in addition to equal political rights, are a part of democratic sovereignty. In exercising their constituent power at the level of constitutional choice, free and equal persons could choose judicial review as one of the constitutional mechanisms for protecting their equal basic rights. As such, judicial review can be seen as a kind of shared precommitment by sovereign citizens to maintaining their equal status in the exercise of their political rights in ordinary legislative procedures. I discuss the conditions under which judicial review is appropriate in a constitutional democracy. This argument is contrasted with Hamilton's traditional argument for judicial review, based in separation of powers and the nature of judicial authority. I conclude with some remarks on the consequences for constitutional interpretation.I am indebted to John Rawls and Burton Dreben for their helpful advice and their comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

India and the ICC

The Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC Statute)would have been more acceptable to India if it had containedan opt-in provision whereby a state could accept the jurisdictionof the ICC by declaration (possibly for a specified period),and this might be limited to particular conduct or to conductcommitted during a particular period of time. The lack of sucha provision, and the inherent jurisdiction which replaced it,are perceived as representing a violation of the consent ofstates, and thus a threat to sovereignty. India's resistanceto accepting the inherent jurisdiction of the ICC is explained,in part, by anxieties about how investigation, prosecution andcriminal proceedings in the Indian system may be judged by aninternational court. The inclusion of ‘armed conflictnot of an international character’ in defining ‘warcrimes’ in Article 8 ICCSt. constitutes another reasonfor India's concern (that the conflicts that persist in Kashmir,the North-East and as was experienced in Punjab, as well asthe violence of more recent vintage in Gujarat, could be referredto the ICC). Further elements giving rise to India's misgivingsare the fear that the Court might be used with political motives,the power conferred on the Prosecutor to initiate investigationsproprio motu and the role allotted to the Security Council.     

论内地与香港特区间刑事诉讼转移制度的构建

针对同一起跨境犯罪,内地与香港特区在双方根据各自刑事法律均享有刑事管辖权,且均已启动刑事诉讼程序时,可进行区际刑事诉讼转移,即就该案件刑事管辖权的实际行使达成共识,由一方来行使刑事管辖权,对犯罪予以追究,他方承认实际管辖方所做出的刑事判决。在"一国两制"原则的指导下,中国内地与香港特区间开展刑事诉讼转移的刑事司法合作活动,须遵循"双重犯罪原则"、"有限的犯罪地管辖原则"和"一事不二审原则"。内地与香港特区刑事诉讼转移制度的构建,可以从包括原则、条件、程序和刑事诉讼转移的拒绝4个方面入手予以考虑。     

Lambe v Finch (1626): An Early Seventeenth-Century Expectant Heir Chancery Suit in Context

ABSTRACT

The suit of Lambe v Finch (1626), at first glance, appears to offer evidence that the court of chancery’s jurisdiction to relieve expectant heirs from the consequences of their improvident bargains had at this time not yet developed to the point it was to reach in the latter part of the seventeenth century. However, if a contextual case study approach is taken, the significance of this particular suit to the development of the jurisdiction changes. By going beyond the information contained in the enrolled decree, a clearer – and qualitatively different – picture emerges; one which offers a more nuanced understanding of the jurisdiction to relieve expectant heirs, and sheds light on the involvement of one individual with the court of chancery in the early seventeenth century.     

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil: the unsightly Milosevic case

To ignore evil is to cause it to cease to exist, thought the ancients, and so, perhaps, think those who accuse former leaders of now dismembered countries, no longer in existence, of war crimes, and who would prevent those they accuse of raising the aggression which was committed against their country. Can the evil of aggression be willed out of existence if it goes unmentioned, and if international ad hoc bodies do not consider it a crime within their jurisdiction? And if the defendant is gagged, if judgments permit him to be removed from the courtroom altogether, will we be free from having to see and hear the evil he persistently identifies, and for which he points out there will be no justice? The Milosevic trial has been underreported to the point where “speaking evil” – that is, expressing criticism of the persistent procedural irregularities that have plagued the proceedings, and indeed the outright erosion of fair trial rights (heralded as “progress” in some quarters) – has become a demanding exercise. It is one we attempt here.     

Children at Risk: Legal and Societal Perceptions of the Potential Threat that the Possession of Child Pornography Poses to Society

This article examines legal and social discourses surrounding the phenomenon of child pornography, considering the legal responses to child pornography (particularly when an individual is found to be in possession of such material), and the way in which such material, the child, and the possessor of child pornography are socially constructed.
The article raises the question of whether there has been a moral panic regarding child pornography and the possession of such material, but also considers whether there are real reasons to consider that the possession of child pornography should remain illegal. Research studies which aim to establish the existence of a causal link between possessing child pornography and the act of committing child sexual abuse are examined, as is the argument that criminalizing the possession of child pornography reduces the market for such material. Finally, there is an analysis of the possible impact of social constructions of the child as innocent.     

初论我国刑事诉讼中设立中间程序的合理性

公诉权从本质上来说是一种诉讼的请求权 ,作为一种公权力和诉权结合的权力形态 ,一方面要求从公益原则出发扩大公诉权自由裁量权的范围 ,以发挥非刑罚化矫正犯罪的功能 ,另一方面 ,为防止公诉权的滥用 ,必须使公诉权接受司法审查 ,以达到保障人权之功效。由于我国公诉审查机制存在严重的缺陷 ,难以发挥其应有的价值。因此 ,从总体上重构我国刑事审前程序 ,建立中间程序 ,发挥中间程序的多重价值功能 ,实现我国刑事诉讼程序的科学化、合理化。     

The Alchemists' Search for the Philosophers' Stone: The Status of Registered Social Landlords under the Human Rights Act

Social housing in Great Britain is undergoing a radical transformation with the transfer of local authority housing to housing associations, more particularly registered social landlords (RSLs). While the former are clearly 'public authorities' for the purposes of the Human Rights Act (HRA), the status of the latter is less clear. The first part of this article addresses the increasingly important role played by housing associations in the provision of social housing, and the significant implications of the stock transfer process. It goes on to explore the meaning of 'public authority' for the purposes of claims under the HRA, taking into account available approaches to interpretation as well as the tests traditionally used to determine amenability to judicial review. It concludes that there is a strong case for acknowledging that RSLs are hybrid authorities for the purposes of the HRA, given in particular their 'publicness' and the fact that they are often carrying out the same functions as local authorities.     

Discretion at the Pre-Trial Stage: A Comparative Study

This study aims to explore the discretion of the police and prosecutors during the pre-trial stage based on six systems of criminal justice: England and Wales, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. In criminal proceedings, discretion plays a significant role in supplementing as statutes cannot provide for every circumstance. In particular, at the pre-trial stage, public prosecutors can conclude their cases by exercising considerable discretion. Such discretion differs depending on the jurisdiction. The differences demonstrate distinctive prosecutorial roles. Based upon these findings, I propose that in general, the public prosecution service plays a filtering role. Unlike other jurisdictions, in Korea the prosecutors act as monopolists. However, justice cannot be achieved by the monopoly of one legal actor in the criminal proceedings.     

Democracy and emergency: finding the constitutional foundation of the knowledgeable state in social dynamics

This article aims to bring to light the law–society dynamic relationship in constitutional governance by engaging with the question of political constitutionalism from the perspective of institutional epistemology. It first reframes the debate surrounding legal and political constitutionalism as one concerning the state's ‘epistemic competence’ in governance shaped by the constitution, and then traces how constitutional ordering has given rise to the ‘knowledgeable state’ by setting a unique social dynamic in motion: the ‘epistemico-political constitution’. Using the example of the World Health Organization's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a the article presents a two-part argument. First, constitutional ordering institutes a process of knowledge production embedded in the interaction between the state and society – a unique law–society dynamic – that responds to governance needs. Second, given the current law–society dynamic in the suprastate political landscape, the legitimacy challenge facing expertise-steered global governance is further intensified as more crisis responses are expected from outside the state.     

The Moral Justification for the Preventive Detention of Terrorists

The moral, as opposed to legal, justification for the preventive detention of terrorists is the topic of this article, and, in particular, for the preventive detention of members of extremist Islamist terrorist organizations, such as Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda (AQ). The article argues that preventive detention of terrorists is morally justified under certain circumstances. Its argument for preventive detention of terrorists is analogous to that used to detain enemy combatants as prisoners of war. However, rather than relying on the possession of the properties definitive of the legal status of a combatant, it relies on demonstrable possession of constitutive features of functionally integrated membership of a terrorist organization. Membership in this sense of a terrorist organization creates the presumption of a standing intention to commit murder, or at least to assist others to do so, in the service of the organization’s political ends.     

Cross-border public care and adoption proceedings in the European Union

The free movement of persons within the EU has meant that children at risk of harm from family members may be living in a Member State of which they are not a national. The child may be made subject to legal measures under the national law of the host State for the protection of their welfare. This article explores the competence of the EU to protect children in these circumstances, and the scope of the Brussels IIa Regulation in governing jurisdiction over child protection proceedings. It discusses the difference between national child protection systems and the political controversy surrounding English law on adoption following care proceedings issued over a child who is a national of a different Member State. It suggests that further information sharing on national systems and cooperation between courts is necessary for the effectiveness of the law and to encourage understanding of legitimate variation in Member State national family law.     

The Objectivity of Beliefs,Reasonable Disagreement and Political Deliberation

This paper is part of a broader argument that seeks to offer a justification for political authority. It aims to investigate the role of truth in political argument and to place the problem of reasonable disagreement. The argument focuses on the possibility of political deliberation, that figures as a stage of political decision‐making. It has to do with a confrontation between incompatible substantive beliefs which, however, all seem to be reasonable. How can citizens holding incompatible beliefs engage in an enterprise of justifying them to one another? That is the question.     

The Impact of the Hague Conference's Proposed Judgments Convention for Electronic Commerce and Intellectual Property Disputes

Since the OECD and other organizations issued model conventions and guidelines on various aspects of electronic commerce, the quest for harmonization and global agreement for electronic commerce laws and procedures has intensified. International private law has become one of the most contentious issues where the legislative development and practical application of electronic commerce is concerned. When an e-commerce contract (a contract concluded by electronic means) is disputed, questions of jurisdiction and choice of law have arisen with increasing frequency. Indeed, questions of jurisdiction and choice of law are even more pertinent when the parties to the contract are domiciled in different jurisdictions. Equally, when one party acquires an intellectual property right in one country and the infringement of this right is alleged in another country, the question of which jurisdiction the holder of the IP right should be entitled to raise proceedings.     

论强制医疗案件的集中管辖——基于A市审判实践的观察和思考

在现行强制医疗司法实践中,由于各省(市)对肇祸的精神病人多采取集中医疗,而司法机关则分散于各区县,导致司法机关为节约司法成本而有意无意地缩略了部分诉讼程序,使得被强制医疗人及其法定代理人的诉讼权利和实体权利均受到侵害。为改变此种现状,应借鉴行政案件、知识产权案件和特殊刑事案件的集中管辖制度,建立与集中医疗相对应的集中管辖制度即将全省(市)的强制医疗案件集中到接受医疗地的司法机关管辖,从而实现司法资源优化配置,降低司法成本;强化诉讼权利保障,体现程序公正;实现同案同判,维护实体公正;实现效率提升,确保及时审判;实现专业化审判,确保案件质量。为确保特殊案件得以公正处理,应设置集中管辖的例外制度;为保障当事人及其法定代理人对集中管辖的异议权,应赋予其上诉权。     

African corporate lawyering and globalization

Influenced by processes of globalization and localization, many fields of social and commercial practice – including legal services – across Africa are undergoing rapid transformation. It should come as no surprise that these processes of globalization and transformation include the ongoing transformation of corporate lawyering. Lawyers from Johannesburg to Algiers – not to mention Khartoum and Ouagadougou – are experiencing and participating in rapid global change in their profession and everyday work. This article identifies some of the questions and issues that emerge from this process, as well as providing a vignette of the South African corporate legal sector and tentatively outlining the emergence of an African corporate lawyering field. It does so in order to propose a research agenda into the trends and potential pathways of growth in this field. It does so in four steps, moving from a theoretical frame to one of the Global South to a portrait of the South African jurisdiction and ending with an agenda for African corporate lawyering.     

Assisted dying and the context of debate: 'medical law' versus 'end-of-life law'

This paper provides a reflective analysis of the nature of normative critiques of law generally, and within medical law specifically. It first seeks to establish the context within which critical analysis of law and legal measures takes place, and develops an argument that critiques should focus on political norms. Entailed in this claim is the contention that positions that seek to address controversial social problems can not resort simply to moral philosophy. It then provides a brief account of political liberalism that can contain and expose normative constraints on questions of moral and social contention. The focus then moves to a more direct reflection on medico-legal analysis. Considering both medical law as a discipline, and the study of end-of-life issues, the argument highlights the range of relevant issues that must be accounted for, and addresses the question of whether these are well conceived as ones of medical law. It is argued that a political framing offers a good general analytic context, but that when working in legal sub-disciplines analysts risk allowing 'locally' pertinent norms to dominate or unduly constrain wider debate. Thus it is questioned whether 'medical law' provides a coherent frame for social questions related to assisted-dying.