The Constitutional Limits of Judicial Activism: Judicial Conduct of International Relations and Child Abduction

Judges are increasingly visible in their participation in activities off the bench. This may create difficulties in drawing the line between their duties in court and their other activities. However, if judges are not acutely aware of the importance of this line their extra-curial activities may interfere with their judicial duties. This article considers the failure to observe the importance of this differentiation in the context of international child abduction. It is argued that some judges, on and off the bench, have wrongly taken over the role of the executive in international relations and that such activity jeopardises the independence of the judiciary. This raises broader issues, in particular it suggests that some judges are being seduced into exceeding their proper judicial role, by working with government in policy-making and by their increasing contacts with judges from other countries.     

宪法社会权及其司法救济——比较法的视角

宪法社会权的正当性及其直接司法救济的可行性是存在争议的问题,不同国家在不同情况下对于该问题采取了不同态度,有的国家仅把宪法社会权作为不可直接司法救济的宣示性权利;有的则采取了“弱救济”的方式,更多尊重立法与行政部门的裁量权;也有的法院在特殊情况下会采用“强救济”的方式,直接判决强制实现宪法社会权。实际上,法院可能会根据实际情况转化适用“弱救济”与“强救济”。在宪法社会权领域,不可过分依赖司法救济,而应更多地由政府根据人民的需要来具体实现。排除了直接司法救济这一必要条件,宪法社会权的正当性难题也就迎刃而解。     

宪法修正案的合宪性审查:以印度为中心

为推介中国人民大学法学院博士培养成果,搭建论文品评乃至学术评价之平台,《法学家》自本期起专辟"博文精萃"一栏。该栏目由两部分组成:其一是"论文要旨",由博文作者对其博文进行全面系统而重点突出的介绍,一般宜包括如下要素:博文的体系架构;博文每章节的主要内容;博文的主要特点;博文的主要创新和不足;博文所研究领域的课题展望。其二是"论文评议",可以是答辩委员会的论文审查意见,或者评审专家的点评,具体宜包括如下要素:对论文的总体评价;对论文的体系及各章节的评价;对论文创新的评价;指出论文的不足以及进一步完善的方向。敬请关注并提出宝贵建议。     

政治冲突的司法解决与宪法裁判的政治化倾向——谈宪法诉讼的性质

社会在不断地变动和发展,反映并用以调整社会关系的宪法也必然要相应地作出调整.从实用主义的视角来看,当旧的宪法规范已经不能够解决当前所面临的政治冲突的时候,以立宪主义为诉求的我们就应该探索新的解决方法.     

宪法权利体系是怎样发展的?--以美国法为范例的展开:司法创制权利的保护

宪法基本权利是一个开放而非封闭的体系,得益于宪法文本之外权利的司法保护,主要包括人身与经济自由,是法官通过对第十四条修正案正当程序条款采用实质性正当程序的解释而完成的.通过适用不同的审查标准,法院徘徊于谦抑与能动之间.先例规则使司法承认的权利在个案中具有拘束力.美国政府与公众对法官创制非文本自由利益并未给予过多的怀疑,法官只是需要警惕防止在抵制一个专断的过程中形成新的专断.     

The Political Origins of English Private Law

The article seeks to explain the emergence of the view that English law contains a fundamental divide between public and private law. I propose to explain the divide, not as a conceptual distinction, grounded in the internal rationality of law, but as a response to the potential problem of political legitimacy arising from the fact that in the domain of private law courts are constantly engaged in making substantive law. That by itself shows that the divide between public and private law is politically motivated, but I further argue that the prevailing view of law among proponents of the divide revives Dicey's conception of the common law within the narrower domain of private law. Since Dicey's views are widely believed to be motivated by his political views, if I am right, this lends support to the conclusion that the views of defenders of the divide are grounded in similar political positions.     

Lessons from history: Origins of the federal laboratory consortium for technology transfer

Editor’s Note: The Federal Laboratory Consortium today consists of over 600 member research laboratories and centers from 16 federal departments and agencies. The FLC brings these laboratories together with potential users of government-developed technologies in the private sector and state and local governments. The FLC also develops and tests transfer mechanisms, addresses barriers to the transfer process, provides training, highlights grass-roots transfer efforts and focuses on national initiatives where technology transfer has a role. The author played a pivotal role in establishing the Consortium and managing the network during its early years.     

The Constitutional and Political Economy of Trade Protection

This essay reviews Trade Protection in the United States (Aldershot, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 1995) by Charles K. Rowley, Willem Thorbecke and Richard E. Wagner. The book stimulates a radical rethinking of trade policy, with results that are applicable well beyond the political framework of the United States. The authors—all advocates of the Virginia public choice school of thought—provide a lucid explanation of the formation of trade policy and systematically explain the many paradoxes of endogenous policymaking. They assess the main players in the process of trade policy formation and rigorously explain the dynamic interaction of the various political organs involved. The authors conclude that unilateral free trade cannot be achieved through the ordinary legislative process, and make a compelling case for Constitutional reform. Given the fragility of free trade equilibria and the inadequacy of bilateral and multilateral trade treaties for a stable free trade environment, the right to trade should be constitutionally guaranteed as an individual right. Considering the relevance of the authors' conclusions in this phase of consolidation of European trade policymaking, this essay examines the proposed unilateral free trade amendment, addresses the game theoretic implications, in light of viable alternatives.     

对国家司法考试制度的宪法学思考

自2002年开始,我国的司法考试至今已历三届。我们选取了国家司法考试制度中的若干问题,从宪法学的角度进行观察思考,以我国宪法所确立的制度、原则与精神为基准,对司法考试做一检视,其内容包括考试的性质、名称、主管机关、报考资格、通过条件、经费开支,以及法律职业资格的效力等问题。     

信息公开与政治公议的合法化展开——一种关于“网络谣言”的宪政主义解读及解决思路

当下围绕着"公意主题事件"而生成的"网络谣言",多为公民基于参与公共政治的联动机制而形成的信息求索机制,属于公民权利的宪法机能形式。它在填补公民参与公共政治的信息赤字的同时,为建构良性的官民互动和公信机制提供了充分契机。伴随着互联网所建构的平面化信息交流机制的日益深入,以及开放、透明的公共信息机制需求在现代国家的民主政治建设中的作用日益凸显,制度设置必须提供更为开放和多元的信息交流机制,尤其是公民参与政治的公共信息获取路径。因此,需要阐明互联网上的信息生成和传递作为国民公共信息获取程式的必要性,澄清政治公议的宪法化展开逻辑,为"网络谣言"所犯政法禁忌解套,实现借助互联网有别于官方话语系统的政治公议的常态化和合法化,并最终寻求其正当性的法理根基。     

近代宪法学说发展的四个阶段

近代宪法学说有个发展过程。这个过程既是向西方学习的过程,同时也是国人不断反省传统的与既存的制度与文化的过程。在此过程中,国人为了早日改变积贫积弱落后挨打的被动局面、实现迅速崛立于世界富强国家民族之林的梦想,努力地拿西方先进的东西特别是西方宪法和宪政来改造中国。此处尝试把近代宪法学说的发展过程划分成四个阶段,以便更清晰地理出近代宪政运动先行者的求索历程,努力从宪法学说理论及其实践的结合上展现出中国近代宪法学说和宪政运动的演进路线,探析其中的经验和教训,以期为当前蓬勃发展的新时期宪法学说理论和宪政建设的健康实践提供参考和借鉴。     

Oversight Effectiveness and Political Will: Some Lessons from West Africa

The purpose of the present note is to advance two theoretical claims. The first claim proposed is that the impact of the availability of oversight tools and of the most broadly understood legislative capacity (availability of material, technical, financial resources; availability of well-trained staff) on the effectiveness with which legislative oversight is performed is conditional. The second claim put forward, after reviewing a rich body of work on executive–legislative relations and legislative oversight in West Africa, is that, of the various conditions that promote or prevent the effective use of oversight tools and capacity, political will is the single most important. These claims have both theoretical and practical relevance, for if political will is as important as is claimed for the effective performance of the oversight function, then international organisations may have to reconsider their approach to legislative strengthening.     

The Constitutional State in the Political Philosophy of Johannes Althusius

The central questions of this article are: a) Based on what arguments defended Johannes Althusius the distinction between the private and public life sphere? b) What kind of relationships exist between the state on the one hand, and private and other public associations on the other hand? c) Based on what arguments may the government restrict actions of citizens and private associations? Answering these questions leads to the conclusion that Althusius should be mentioned as one of the founding fathers of the liberal constitutional state.     

宪法：从政治法到治政法

将宪法称为政治法,虽然由来久、流传广,但弊病多、危害深,不宜继续提倡。政治事务虽然由宪法集中规范,但宪法不只是规范政治事务。单纯从宪法与政治的关系上讲,宪法不是政治统治法、被政治控制之法,而是控制政治之法、治理政权之法。人民是政治与治政的主体,宪法是人民治政的依据与准则。将宪法作为治政法,体现了民主与民治的要求,有利于增强宪法的法律属性与价值理性,有利于实现宪治、实现民主、实现自由。     

从制度上保证审判独立——以司法独立的国际标准为参照

司法独立的国际标准要求法院和法官在行使审判权的时候不受干预,有关各方也不得进行干预,并且还应当为法院和法官独立审判提供积极保障。我国的审判独立原则包含了法院集体独立和法官个体独立的内涵,但无论是在立法上还是在实践中,都与国际标准存在着一定差距。只有以国际标准为指导,对我国不符合审判独立要求的制度和做法进行改革,才能够达到从制度上保证审判独立的目的。     

从政治司法到法律司法

长期以来,受阶级斗争理论的影响,国家的职能被定位为实现对敌人的专政,法院的司法审判被视为是专政的有力武器,由此而深刻地铸就了法院司法的政治性品格。改革开放政策的实行,诱发了中国社会开始走向转型。在此过程中,因应市场经济建立和依法治国的需要,法院的审判面临着由政治性主导向法律性主导转变的问题。实现这一转变,需要从确保法院自身的独立、司法程序的完善、诉讼参与人主导性地位的保障以及法官职业素养的提高等方面进行制度改革和完善,才能达到预期的目标。     

通过法律职业化进路的司法改革

司法改革在路径的选择上有多种 ,在我国目前的政治环境和法制条件下 ,通过推动法律职业化建设的路径来进行 ,有助于司法队伍人才素质的提高 ,有助于司法权威的树立和法律信仰的养成 ,也有助于司法独立的实现。     

Constitutional Rights and Democracy in the U.S.A.: The Issue -of Judicial Review

Abstract. The first section takes up some main details of American constitutional history. At the end of that section and in section two, we concentrate on one constitutional doctrine in particular, judicial review. We argue that this doctrine rests, traditionally, on the foundational idea of a permanent tension between democratic institutions and basic rights. In section three, we deal with the problem just raised, by suggesting an alternative view of the relationship that exists between these fundamental constitutional elements. Here we attempt to show that there is an essential principled harmony between basic constitutional rights and democratic majority rule. And we try to locate judicial review within this alternative conception. Then in section four and in the conclusion we discuss the institutional arrangements for the practice of judicial review in the light of this alternative conception.     

中国语境下司法民主的理论建构——基于政治正当性与权力合法性视角

从政治正当性与权力合法性的角度检视新时期人民司法的实践,可以看到,尽管新时期司法民主的理论创新与制度实践所要解决的问题依然是如何有效地建立起中国司法的权威,但是它还需要解决好司法为民、便民的问题.因而,必须明确,中国司法民主的理论建构与司法实践必须在坚持法治与司法职业化的前提下,尽可能地确保社会大众能够理性、有效、适度地参与司法,以便于提高参与司法的便利性,扩大司法的参与性,增强司法的透明性,保持司法的中立性;同时,要坚持司法的法治原则,秉持依法司法的宗旨,遵循司法的程序性、专业性与规律性,通过程序的开放,贯彻司法的责任原则,理性、适度地参与司法活动.唯有此,才能够形成合力与合作,确保司法民主意涵的真正落实,推动司法权威的建成.