2011年12月法治焦点回顾

1.最高人民法院发布第一批指导性案例12月20日,最高人民法院发布了第一批指导性案例。包括民事和刑事案例各2个,指导性案例所确定的裁判要点,对人民法院审理类似案件、作出裁判具有指导效力,法官在审判类似案件时应当参照,并可以作为裁判文书的说理依据加以引用。     

指导性案例援引方式之规范研究——以将裁判要点作为排他性判决理由为核心

建立案例指导制度的目的在于保证法律的统一适用,实现同案同判。在指导性案例的援引方式上,将指导性案例作为判决理由加以援引已成为共识。根据判决理由的最低援引标准,只有裁判要点才能作为判决理由加以援引。进一步地,由于裁判要点能够在事实、价值要素上与所适用的法律规则相吻合,且具有制度权威性特征,因此裁判要点是作为排他性判决理由加以援引的。裁判要点作为排他性判决理由表明,它在各种可能冲突的判决理由中总是能够胜过其他与之竞争的普通理由,因而它也就成为待决案件的决定性判决理由。裁决要点作为排他性判决理由应受到一定条件的强制,并遵循若干适用原则,以保证指导性案例援引工作的有效展开。     

类案适用视角下指导性案例裁判理由的撰述

类案适用是一种与司法裁判具有内在联系的活动。从类比推理和司法说理的角度看，先例的裁判理由对类案适用承担着正当化论证的功能，它不仅为判断先例与待决案件是否类案提供了实质标准，也为类案裁判规则的形成和适用准备了担保理由。指导性案例的参照适用体现了成文法制度下类案司法适用的基本原理，其可以从类案适用的制度背景及法律方法中获得认识。在指导性案例的体例要素中，裁判理由是对裁判要点的形成和司法适用最为重要的部分，案例指导工作不能疏忽对裁判理由及其内容撰述的重视。对此，可以基于类案适用的视角对指导性案例裁判理由的撰述确立一定的目标性要求，并就目前情况提出相应的改进措施。从有助于类案适用的角度优化指导性案例裁判理由的撰述，应是促进案例指导制度良善发展的重要任务。     

从夏某信用卡诈骗案论信用卡诈骗罪与盗窃罪的区别

区分信用卡诈骗罪与盗窃罪,应注意把握两罪的关键区别,特别是法官在裁判案件时,不能单单从案件的定性上进行判断,还要结合罪刑相适应等刑法原则进行综合的裁判。     

司法类案的判断标准及其运用

该文以司法类案的判断标准为主要研究对象，旨在为法官审理案件时寻找类似案件，进而做到类似案件类似审判提供理论基础与实践参照。判断类似案件的主要标准是争议点相似和关键事实相似；辅助标准是案由和行为后果相似。围绕争议点并借助裁判规则来检视关键事实是判断类案的主要方式。在此基础上，充分发挥类案推送平台，明确案例的效力优先级，是解决类似案件类似审判的技术支持和制度保障。该文以借名买房类案件为例，展示类案的判断标准及其运用，以期促进司法适用之统一。     

指导性案例跨类型适用的限度与进路

司法实践中指导性案例跨类型适用的现象具有广泛性、频发性、多样性、热点集中性等特征。基于对上述现象的实证分析和反思,类型化思维和法律方法的运用是指导性案例跨类型适用的理论依据,满足案例指导制度运行多元化需求则是其现实动因。指导性案例的跨类型适用如果严重背离“类案类判”的基本理念,就易滋生隐患和风险。完善指导性案例的跨类型适用应分别从案例生成和案例适用的角度出发。一方面,通过丰富指导性案例的数量和类型、改进指导性案例的裁判要点从源头上减少指导性案例的跨类型适用概率;另一方面,通过完善指导性案例与待解决案件的相似性判断以及法律适用的“公约化”来规范指导性案例跨类型适用的裁判路径。     

裁判摘要的性质追问

裁判摘要的性质追问,关乎《最高人民法院公报》如何择取指导性案例的问题,关乎中国案例指导制度如何演化和定型的问题。目前裁判摘要的功能主要是概括和抽取判决中的判例规则,其抽象的、一般的规则形式,几与成文法国家的制定法规则无异。但指导性案例的判例规则应由未来在审案件的法官亲自概括和抽取,裁判摘要的最佳形式是内容提要,其功能只应限定于对未来法官做出初步指引。中国的司法解释制度已是过大于功,应逐步由案例指导制度取而代之。     

裁判的进路与方法——解析指导性案例司法操作的过程

为有运用案例指导审判实践,通过技术层面对案例指导的运作探讨,提出案例指导司法运作大致分为六个步骤:第一,待决案件的分析;第二,基点案例的查寻;第三,同类案件的判断;第四,裁判规范的探寻;第五,裁判规范的发现;第六,案例指导的推理。     

证据裁判性原则与法官自由心证之间的关系

众所周知,正确审理判断案件的关键在于最大程度还原案件事实情况,证据则是实现该还原工作的途径,在素件处理过程中证据占有举足轻重的地位并拥有着决定性的作用.作为当今法官行为准则之一的证据裁判性原则要求法官必须根据证据对案件做出裁判,而这里就出现了问题症结所在.法官断案的依据需为案件证据,但证据认可与否、证据所能证明的是怎样的事实情况以及证据的证明力大小等断案的前提是否也和法官内心判断相关联.关联性有多强,理论和司法实务界一直没有一个相对统一的看法,进而导致“同案不同判”的现象曾出不穷.本文将就此问题阐述自己的些许观点,重点探索证据裁判性原则和法官自由心证的内在关系与外在关联.     

裁判的进路与方法——解析指导性案例司法操作的过程

为有运用案例指导审判实践，通过技术层面对案例指导的运作探讨，提出案例指导司法运作大致分为六个步骤：第一，待决案件的分析；第二，基点案例的查寻；第三，同类案件的判断；第四，裁判规范的探寻；第五，裁判规范的发现；第六，案例指导的推理。     

Fatal poisoning in drug addicts in the Nordic countries in 2007

The frequency of medico-legally examined fatal poisonings in 2007 among drug addicts was investigated in five Nordic countries; Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The number of deaths, age, sex, place of death, main intoxicant, and other drugs present in blood samples were recorded to obtain national and comparable Nordic data, as well as data to compare with earlier studies in 2002, 1997, and 1991. Norway had the highest incidence of drug addict deaths by poisoning followed by Denmark, with 8.24 and 6.92 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. The death rates in Finland (4.02), Iceland (4.56), and Sweden (3.53) were about half that of Norway and Denmark. Compared with earlier studies, the death rates were unchanged in Denmark and Norway, but increased in Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. In all countries, fewer deaths (29-35%) were recorded in the capital area compared with earlier studies. Females accounted for 11-19% of the fatal poisonings. Iceland deviates with a more equal distribution between men and women (40%). Deaths from methadone overdoses increased in all Nordic countries, and methadone was the main intoxicant in Denmark in 2007, accounting for 51% of the poisonings. In Norway and Sweden, heroin/morphine was still the main intoxicant with a frequency of 68% and 48%, respectively. In Iceland, 3 deaths each were due to heroin/morphine and methadone, respectively. Finland differs from other Nordic countries in having a high number of poisonings caused by buprenorphine and very few caused by heroin/morphine. The total number of buprenorphine deaths in Finland doubled from 16 in 2002 to 32 in 2007, where it constituted 25% of deaths. The general toxicological screening program showed widespread multi-drug use in all countries. The median number of drugs per case varied from 3 to 5. The most frequently detected substances were heroin/morphine, methadone, buprenorphine, tramadol, amphetamine, cocaine, tetrahydrocannabinol, benzodiazepines and ethanol.     

2008年中国法治亮点巡礼

2008年，是中国法治进程稳步推进和稳健发展的一年，也是法治亮点频频闪现的一年。2008年的立法景观依然多姿多彩，科学立法、民主立法继续推进，公民对立法工作的有序参与进一步扩大，已出台的十一届全国人大常委会立法规划值得人们期待。此外，实施不久的《政府信息公开条例》、全面开展的监狱体制改革，以及此起彼伏的问责风暴等都是值得我们关注的法治亮点。     

Differences in female and male involvement in lethal violence in Russia

Relatively little is known of the distributions of homicide event characteristics in non-Western nations in which women relative to men are involved. This article utilizes unique homicide narratives drawn from Russian court and police records to compare homicide victim, offender, and event characteristics by sex of victim and separately by sex of offender. Results from logistic regression show that homicides in which a female was the victim or offender were more likely to occur between intimates and to occur in the home, whereas homicides involving males were more likely to occur in a public place, to be alcohol-related, to involve a firearm, and to involve a victim and offender who did not know each other well. These results not only present an important first glimpse at women as homicide victims and offenders in Russia specifically, but also provide a point of comparison with findings from similar analyses undertaken in the West, and present further initial observations upon which to construct a cohesive theory about female involvement in serious violent events.     

Trends in Non-Muslim Divorces in Singapore

This article examines the trends and patterns in the way thesecular divorce law has been utilized by couples in Singaporeseeking to end their marriage. Social and demographic featuresof the divorcing couples, as well as the ‘fact’relied on in support of their divorce petitions, are studiedand compared to earlier analyses. It is found that while somepatterns observed by earlier researchers have remained intact,others have changed. This article suggests explanations forthese observed patterns and contributes to the discussion onwhether and how the divorce law can be improved in Singaporeand elsewhere.     

Trustees in Cyprus regulated in 2007

Trust and company service providers in Cyprus are followingin the footsteps of their European counterparts and will toobe regulated at the beginning of 2007.     

Drugs in injured drivers in Denmark

As part of the project Impaired Motorists, Methods of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing (IMMORTAL) under the European Commission's Transport RTD Programme of the 5th Framework Programme [I.M. Bernhoft, Drugs in accidents involved drivers in Denmark, D-R4.3 of the project Impaired Motorists, Methods Of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing (IMMORTAL), www.immortal.or.at, 2005], a study regarding drugs in accident-involved drivers was carried out in Denmark. The main objectives of this study were: (1) to collect and analyse samples from injured drivers for the presence of drugs; (2) to give an indication whether drugs may have contributed to traffic accidents; and (3) to get information on the drug-positive drivers and their drug use. This paper focuses on objective 1. Injured drivers who were treated in hospital were asked to give a saliva sample, a blood sample or both. The samples were screened for the following substances: opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, incl. MDMA (ecstasy), cannabinoids and metabolites, cocaine and metabolites and benzodiazepines. Screenings were carried out by means of Cozart Microplate EIA kit. Positive screenings were confirmation analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). In total, 26 out of 330 patients were confirmed positive for one or more of the six drug groups. However, three patients were excluded from the survey for various reasons. Of the remaining 23 drug-positive patients 15 were found positive for one drug group, and in five of these cases alcohol was present in a concentration over the legal limit in Denmark (0.05%). The other eight patients were found positive for two drug groups, and in four of these cases, alcohol was also present in a concentration over the legal limit. Alcohol was found both in combinations with medicinal drugs, with illegal drugs and with both. Based on the saliva or blood concentrations, we estimate that there is a strong suspicion of impairment in 9 out of 23 cases, and in another six cases it was likely that the drivers were impaired.     

Competence in caring in legal practice

This article is concerned with the stories of female solicitors working in Queensland, Australia, and their account of ethics in practice. These narratives were sought and made in the context of our project investigating complaints received against practitioners in this jurisdiction. Our interviews with female lawyers were intended to provide more insight into complaints matters. Yet this discussion revealed broader insights into ethical questions about the nature of lawyer–client relationships and legal professionalism. This article considers these accounts by reflecting on the concept of ‘care’ and its fit with legal practice requirements today. In doing so, we consider the difficult gendered question of the relationship between caring and ‘women's’ practice. We do not assert a true woman's working style; we seek to contextualise our empirical research by tracing the complex effect of gender on lawyering roles. Finally, we suggest that the adoption of caring practice is a valid approach to lawyering and call for a caring approach to be re-valued in the legal professional context as an ethical proposition.