The Enactment of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857: The Campbell Commission and the Parliamentary Debates

Rather surprisingly none of the existing accounts of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 considers the mechanics of reform which brought about the legislation in any great detail. Yet this subject as much as the final legislation merits attention in its own right. The nineteenth century in England was a significant period of law reform and the legislation provides a vivid illustration of the inner workings of the process. The passage of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 was not entirely smooth. The fact that it succeeded at all makes it an ideal case study in Victorian law reform. This article considers the pressures for divorce reform, the working of a Royal Commission, the debates in Parliament, and ultimately how reform was finally achieved through a series of compromises between those who wanted more radical change and defenders of the status quo.     

司法视域下夫妻财产制的价值转向

夫妻财产制的认知,表象是民法共同共有原理,实质蕴含夫妻甘苦与共的婚姻家庭的伦理期许。我国离婚诉讼的实施效果,呈现出重确权、轻分割、忽视矫正补偿的倾向。从功利主义哲学出发,夫妻财产归属确认的清晰便捷、财产分割的实质正义与弱势一方的矫正补偿,是评价一国夫妻财产制度带给家庭成员稳定安全感的权衡尺度。在个人主义理念强大的当下,财产法中大量的制度直接延伸至婚姻法,模糊了家庭生活与商业生活的差异。我国夫妻财产制度的精神气质应回归至以家庭命运共同体伦理性为依归,立法价值取向应从形式平等向实质正义转向,司法视域下夫妻财产制度应充分彰显婚姻法的伦理关怀,夫妻财产制的构造应致力于财产分配的公正与创造婚姻家庭的幸福。     

转继承与夫妻财产制

作为经常发生的现象,转继承问题的解决在理论和司法实践中具有重要意义。但我国《继承法》并未对转继承问题做出规定,因此,转继承问题在法学理论界引起了争议。明确遗产的法律地位,分析转继承的适用范围,并结合我国的夫妻财产制的规定,才能正确的处理转继承问题。     

论婚姻权利的法律限度

婚姻权利是现代法的内容之一。婚姻权利是权利人依法享有的以结婚权、配偶权和离婚权为内容的,发生人身效力和财产效力的民事权利,是配偶身份利益的法律保障,是婚姻家庭制度的核心内容。婚姻权利的行使对于权利个体及社会都须有必要的限度。具体表现为其一,为保护权利相对人的限度;其二,为保护公共利益的限度。只有对婚姻权利的限度有深刻的理解与认识,才可能实现法律设立的价值与目的,并充分发挥其社会功效。     

社会性别与婚姻暴力实证研究

婚姻暴力受害者多为女性。婚姻暴力循环会导致妇女面临更多经济与精神困惑,从而使妇女成为需要法律特别关注的弱势群体。我国应构建预防与制止婚姻暴力的社会措施与法律体系。在立法与执法中,应充分导入社会性别视角,才能有效保障妇女的合法权益。     

Matrimonial Breakdown and the Legal Process: The Limitations of No-Fault Divorce

This paper sets out the factors underlying the policy of no-fault divorce, and questions the attainability of its aims. From the writer's empirical research into the operation of English divorce law, it is argued that legal reforms are not of themselves enough to change the attitudes of divorcing parties to the breakdown of their marriage. Reform should take into account the dynamics of the process of breakdown, in particular, the likelihood that the parties will have different attitudes to the breakdown of the relationship.     

论夫妻共同财产管理权

夫妻共同财产管理权是维护夫妻共同财产价值所必需的,我国未来的立法应当增设这一制度。管理权分为一般管理权和特别管理权,二者对财产的处分有所不同。管理权有三种行使模式,针对不同的情形应当采用不同的管理模式。为实现管理制度的立法目的,还应当明确管理人的义务和对非管理方的救济。     

The Punitive Repertoire of Children's Homes and Reformatories

Although equality before the law is one of the fundamental principles of modern democracy, current Western research has shown that discrimination exists within the justice system when enforcing traditional crimes. However, in Scandinavian research on economic crime, the question of equal treatment has been neglected. Based on Swedish data of suspected offenders during 2003, we examined whether different social groups received differential treatment in investigations of traditional and economic crimes. Further, we compared the Regular Police with the Economic Crimes Bureau (ECB) to examine whether the professional specialization of street-level bureaucrats influence the occurrence of differential treatment. We also examined the efficiency of the authorities and more specifically to what extent they issue a waiver of prosecution, a prosecutor's fine, or a court indictment. Besides supporting earlier research on traditional crime, our results show that differential treatment also exists in relation to economic crime, but the patterns of differential treatment are not identical with the ones for traditional crimes. We also found that the two agencies, the ECB and the Regular Police, treat diverse social groups differently. Although the ECB is somewhat more efficient, professional specialization does not appear to be an important factor concerning the issue of differential treatment. It exists regardless of investigating authority. Further action is being taken more often in relation to men and those with a lower level of education at both agencies. However, in some cases the suspect's background does have a different effect on the work of the two agencies, with the ECB less often taking further action against ‘Swedes’ and those on ‘high incomes’, while the Regular Police less often take further action against ‘immigrants’ and those on ‘low and middle incomes’.     

The Anguilla Foundation Act

This contribution contains an encompassing summary of the legalfeatures of the long-awaited Anguilla Foundation Act which isexpected to be passed in Spring 2007.     

The Global Magnitsky Act

This article discusses the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act, which was passed in 2016 and which provides a mechanism for the U.S. government to sanction foreign individuals and entities that are involved in human rights abuses and large scale corruption. It also discusses the opportunities that the Act provides for civil society organizations to influence the designation process and the additional due diligence measures that businesses should take in order to ensure compliance with the Act.     

立法制度的新进展与新问题──由《中华人民共和国立法法》谈起

本文认为,全面规范国家立法制度的《立法法》是一部意义特别重要的宪法性法律,因此它理应成为全国各级各类立法的“样板式”的高质量的法律;以此作为基点,本文从理论和实践的结合上,评说了新出台的《立法法》的成功与缺失。     

论婚姻诉讼中诉的变更与合并

根据我国民事诉讼法的规定,离婚诉讼适用普通程序。而依照最高人民法院的司法解释,宣告婚姻无效案件适用特别程序。这样,按照一般诉的变更与合并的条件,宣告婚姻无效之诉与离婚之诉之间,就不能进行变更和合并。这与婚姻案件的特殊性和国际上通行的做法是有冲突的。我们应当借鉴其他国家的有益经验,对因同一婚姻关系所产生的婚姻诉讼,允许其变更、合并,以便使同一婚姻所发生的争执,在同一诉讼程序中得以解决,避免先后起诉或分别起诉可能产生的弊端。     

看守所在押人员心理特征刍议

分析在押人员的心理特征，有的放矢地进行教育改造，不仅是配合侦查、起诉、审判工作顺利进行的需要，也为保障看守所安全所必需。本文着重对在押人员心理特征及其影响因素进行了探讨。