Surrogacy litigation in China and beyond

Chinese law neither generally prohibits nor expressly permits surrogacy. As there has been a massive underground surrogacy market in the country, surrogacy lawsuits have occurred from time to time. Chinese courts are called to decide a number of disputed issues regarding validity of surrogacy contract, parenthood of the surrogate child, and sole care and control of the surrogate child. This article examines the judicial solutions to these disputes through a case study, and analyses whether Chinese courts have adopted appropriate approaches in applying the existing law to surrogacy lawsuits. The article further discusses the inadequacies of Chinese law in solving surrogacy disputes and regulating surrogacy, and recommends a set of suggestions for improvement so that Chinese law may better adapt to the social demand of surrogacy.     

踱步于理想和现实之间——公益诉讼法律移植的不适性研究

公益诉讼的本质是民治，其需要有民主政治和独立司法的环境，需要有成熟市民社会的力量支撑。然而，中国至今还未形成真正意义上的市民社会；一元化政治体制又难以认同、接纳公益诉讼；传统文化更是从精神上抵制公益诉讼。在这种环境下移植公益诉讼法律制度，即使能遂人心愿，其结果也很可能只是一部“死法”。但是，公益诉讼是封中国目前主流社会病态很有针对性的一剂良药，所以，即使是“死法”．也值得移植，因为法能良化公益诉讼的生存环境。     

民事诉讼受理制度改造的理性视角

民事诉讼受理是纠纷进入司法程序的初始必经阶段,对于当事人诉讼权利保障意义重大.随着经济体制改革的深化和经济的快速发展,许多深层次的矛盾不断出现,民众的诉求越来越多,而我国的法律体系和社会保障机制还不够完善,人民法院作为解决矛盾纠纷的专门机构,应当担负起为构建和谐社会提供有力司法保障的历史任务,最大程度地吸纳化解矛盾纠纷.然而,现行民事诉讼受理制度所规定的起诉条件,既包括实体内容又包括程序要求,确定性有余而灵活性、包容性不足,虽然能够一定程度地起到过滤纠纷,节约司法资源的作用,但其对于新型权利诉求进入诉讼渠道的阻隔作用日益显现,甚至为个别地方限制当事人正当诉权的行使提供了借口.在改造方案的设计方面,应当理性审视现有司法资源和司法环境,更宜采渐进式而非跃进式的方案,避免由于准备不足而导致司法不堪重负,制约正常功能的发挥.     

民事诉讼证据中有关鉴定的诠释与规则适用探讨

新《民事证据规定》涉及鉴定条款占所有条款数量的四分之一,其中,新增条款又约占整个鉴定条款的60%。这种大幅度对鉴定问题的修订,彰显出鉴定在民事证据中的重要地位与实践中的突出作用。这些有关鉴定条款的修改、新增和删除,除理顺民事证据规定与民事诉讼法及其相关解释的关系和回应民众对鉴定的需求外,侧重于人民法院对鉴定委托的管理和对鉴定人活动的规范。具体体现为加强鉴定委托管理、强化鉴定人出庭作证、限制鉴定人撤销鉴定意见、严格鉴定人承诺和作虚假鉴定等方面的责任,尤其是鉴定费用退回的制裁方式。但也存在规范鉴定人和法官行为的失衡,以及条款间及其与相关司法解释的不协调问题等。对此需要在尊重诉讼规律、科学规律和证据规则本质的基础上,以司法改革、司法鉴定制度改革以及与相关法律、司法解释衔接和协调的综合视角对有关鉴定的规定作出理论诠释与适用说明,不宜孤立地解释条款的字面含义,以免导致实践适用上的失控。     

比较法、因特网与法律趋同化

比较法具有无穷的魅力,可以促进法律和人类的进步。有学者认为比较法的目的是创建共同法,但这种观点过于理想化。将比较法的目的定位在促进法律趋同化是较为合理的。法律趋同化具有历史必然性,而比较法可以促进法律趋同化走势的加强。因特网为比较法研究提供了丰富的法律资料,使比较法得到了蓬勃发展,从而使法律趋同化走势达到了前所未有的高度。同时,因特网本身促进了各国文化的趋同,这从另一方面推动了法律的趋同化。     

在政治、法律与社会之间——经典作家论法官的角色定位

法官的角色涉及到法官的形象与权能,因而成为马克思主义司法学说的重要组成部分。在经典作家看来,法官是政治上的独立者而非依附者;法律上的宣示者而非创造者;司法上的中立者而非偏倚者;诉讼中的主导者而非垄断者。这些定位,对于全面认识法官的地位、权能、职责有着极为重要的现实意义。     

善意认定的属性及反推技术

善意是对虚假信息传递途径的不知情,它必然与行为相关联,与恶意存在非此即彼的互异关系。善意的判断与过失的判断是两个不同的问题,但基于利益衡量,行为人的重大过失妨碍其善意的成立。由于善意认定方法的综合判断属性及对客观事实的适度超越性、认定结论的弹性化、非验证性以及很难直接以反证推翻的特征,决定了善意认定的法律判断属性。在具体认定过程中,反推技术是一种便捷且有效的方法。     

The commemoration of death,organizational memory,and police culture

Police scholars document that although there is fragmentation of the so‐called “monolithic” police culture, historically consistent features of the occupational culture of police exist. By drawing on ethnographic observations in three U.S. police departments, I describe how one consistent feature of police culture—the preoccupation with danger and potential death—is maintained by the commemoration of officers killed in the line of duty. Through the use of commemorative cultural artifacts, officers and departments construct an organizational memory that locally reflects and reifies the salience of danger and potential death in policing. Furthermore, commemoration of fallen officers is not restricted to a department's own; the dead of other departments are commemorated by distant police organizations and their officers, maintaining broad, occupational assumptions of dangerous and deadly police work that transcend a single department and its localized organizational memory. Implications for the study of police culture, inequalities in policing, and police reform are considered.     

Negative reactions to the sexually abused victims,withdrawing the complaint and outcomes of the litigation: the first data from Turkey

In order to provide psychosocial services to children with sexual abuse (SA) histories, their needs and problems should be initially identified. In this study, it is intended to determine the psychosocial problems of victims. Participants were 73 victims between aged between 16 and 21. A telephone interview form was used to collect the study data. It is found that there were several problems noted by victims, including underage marriage (15.1%), teenage pregnancy (6.9%), revictimization (13.7%), need for psychiatric support (21.9%) as well as negative social reaction (84.4%) and not being supported by family (41.1%). One-third of the victims (30.1%) had withdrawn the complaint for reasons such as SA being heard among social circle, the negative effect of court process on psychological well-being, make a new beginning and reasons related to the suspects. Finally, it was found out that 21.9% of the parents did not know the outcome of the litigation, 34.2% of them were satisfied with the case result, 43.8% of them were not satisfied with the penalty, 43.8% of the litigation process was ended in favor of the suspect and 43.9% of the suspects were punished. This study shows the need for prevention and intervention studies to solve the problems of SA victims, and it is essential to make the justice system child-friendly.     

涉法涉诉信访之案件成因、制度困局与破解之道

外在的制度性诱因和内在的观念性诱因促成了当下持续攀升的涉法涉诉信访案件。此类信访不仅打破了司法救济的最终性,人治色彩浓厚,而且因处访机构众多、效率低下、处访程序失范、救济成本高昂等屡遭诟病。但在司法公信力低下、权利救济机制尚不健全的今天,相比终止信访的救济功能而言,结合我国实际情况,有针对性地改善现有信访制度,使其适应我国转型期的特殊需要,似乎来得更为妥当。     

诉讼、人情与法治——现代法治视野中的诉讼人情化现象研究

通过诉讼程序严格依照法律规定解决社会纠纷是我国法治建设的一个重要内容。然而,在司法实践中因人情而不严格依照法律的规定作出判决或裁定的现象还在一定程度上存在。对我国的法治建设是一个重要的、应该正确认识并妥善解决的问题。通过分析当代社会中诉讼人情化这一现象,探讨其产生和存在的原因,提出解决这一问题的思路。     

Precedent Externality, Network Effect, and the Possible Inefficiency of the Evolution of Laws

Using the traditional scenario of tort conflict as an example, I argue that the marginal precautionary costs of injurers and victims are not constant, as was assumed by most previous researchers. The precedent of a liability rule has some natural externality on the precaution technology, and hence marginal cost, faced by future agents involved in torts. The adoption of legal rules therefore has a network effect, meaning that the present prevalent adoption of one rule increases the probability of its future adoption. Treating the dynamic evolution of legal rules as a random process, we are able to apply an established result in the literature of network economies to conclude the path-dependence, non-predictability, and potential inefficiency concerning the final legal rule to which the dynamics converge.     

“法治”概念在当代中国的继受及其意义

“法治”在当代中国逐渐成为大家耳熟能详的概念.从中国具体法治实践看,无论在学界还是法律实践部门,尽管都在使用“法治”概念,但实际上是对大陆法系“法治国”或“法治主义”的继受,这对中国的法治建设产生了一定的积极意义的同时也带来了一定的消极影响.如何实现走出继受,建构起拥有自己发展个性的法秩序模式,成为摆在我们面前一个义不容辞的使命.     

Maritime security and the common interests of India and China

The world has changed dramatically over the years, and being two of the world’s largest and most populous developing countries, India and China should remain in close touch on issues concerning developing nations. Today’s challenges to maritime security increasingly comprise more non-traditional threats, such as terrorist acts against shipping, trafficking in weapons of mass destruction, piracy and armed robbery at sea, illicit transportation in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and nuclear substances, and smuggling of people and arms. It is therefore important to intensify cooperation at all levels to address threats to maritime security and safety in a comprehensive manner through bilateral and multilateral instruments and mechanisms aimed at monitoring, preventing and responding to such threats.     

文化法的定位、原则与体系

文化法属于社会法的范畴,旨在保障公民文化权益的实现和满足人民群众精神生活需要。建立公民文化权利与政府责任之间的关联性,确立和维护产业文化与事业文化形态,促进文化体制改革、社会核心价值体系建设和文化繁荣发展,需要加强文化法治建设。文化法治建设应当遵循文化权利保障、政府主导与公众参与结合、市场化与政府规制协调以及综合效益原则,构建由宪法文化权利与宪法文化政策两块坚实基石、文化事业法制与文化产业法制两个基本侧面、中央文化立法与地方文化立法两个对应层面、文化政策与文化法律两个互动方面有机构成的文化法制体系。     

日本刑法的发展及其启示

日本已从刑事立法的稳定化转向了刑事立法的活性化;近年来的刑事立法,主要表现为犯罪化、处罚的早期化与重罚化以及刑法表述的通俗化、具体化。我国应当在法治视野下重新思考刑法处罚范围,而非单纯控制处罚范围;应当注重提高刑事立法的有效性,而非单纯注重处罚的严厉性;应当在刑事立法体例上采取例示法,而非单其强调通俗化与具体化的特征。     

危机决策，对我国政府决策系统的挑战及对策

新形势下,危机决策是衡量政府快速反应能力的核心指标,具有紧迫性、集中性、非常规性和高风险性,它对我国政府决策系统提出了严峻的挑战。提高危机决策水平,改进政府决策系统就必须:⑴树立科学的决策观;⑵优化决策支持系统;⑶改进决策系统的运行机制;⑷丰富决策方法论体系。     

The Recognition,and Res Judicata Effect,of a United States Class Actions Judgment in England: A Rebuttal of V ivendi

United States' courts have proven willing to certify multi‐jurisdictional class actions which purport to adjudicate the claims of both American and foreign (i.e., non‐US‐domiciled) class members. This article contends, however, that a class actions judgment/settlement issued by a US court would not be recognised, and would not be given preclusive effect, in England, should absent English class members wish to re‐litigate the same grievance before an English court. Specifically, it is argued that two separate preconditions for such recognition and preclusive effect would fail, viz, a US court would usually lack the requisite ‘personal jurisdiction’ over absent English class members; and the necessary ‘identity of parties’ would be absent. The article seeks to anticipate the appropriate answer to a conundrum which is certain to arise for future English judicial consideration, whilst acknowledging the uneasy fit which currently exists between English private international law and multi‐jurisdictional class actions.