Hypothetical intentionalism in statutory interpretation

Intentionalism is the view that an utterance （understood broadly as a spoken phrase, a written text, or even a gesture） means what its utterer intends to mean by it. In the philosophy of language, Grice＇s version of intentionalism rules the day, but intentionalism in statutory interpretation has well-known enemies. Antonin Scalia argues that the search for the intentions of actual legislators destroys the publicity of law and leads judges into fact-finding rather than rule-application. The author argues for a sophisticated version of intentionalism according to which the utterer of law is not an empirical individual or group of individuals but a hypothetical sovereign. The meaning of a legal text is whatever an ideally rational and reasonable communicator would intend to mean by it. By divorcing the meaning of law from the actual intentions of sometimes-conflicted and insincere legislators, this theory preserves the publicity of law and helps avoid fact-finding. Furthermore, it does justice to canons of construction （e.g., ejusdem generis, noscitur a sociis）, which seem to aim at what an ideally rational and reasonable lawgiver would mean by a given legal text. Finally, hypothetical intentionalism accords with actual judicial practice, at least in the United States Supreme Court, where justices often seem to tacitly assume that the utterer of law always expresses her meaning in the best possible way.     

定期租船合同法定解除事由评析——兼论《海商法》相关条款的修订

从《海商法》关于定期租船合同法定解除权的四个具体条文着手,结合合同法基本原理,参考国际立法例和航运实践,评析了定期租船合同法定解除是由的立法得失。     

论非法定目的犯的构成要件构造及其适用

刑法分则中有许多犯罪未规定犯罪目的,而理论和实践上一般认为,其中某些未规定目的的犯罪仍然应该具备某种特定目的,但在论证这些非法定目的犯之特定目的的存在时多局限于就罪论罪,缺少从犯罪构成整体的角度探讨其合理性。从构成要件构造的角度看,目的犯中的目的是主观违法的构成要件要素,当某种犯罪的构成要件中没有明确规定犯罪目的,而该目的对于犯罪的成立又是不可缺少的,法官就应对这一表明了违法性的构成要件要素作出补充,因而这些非法定目的犯在构成要件构造上属于开放性的构成要件;其未规定的犯罪目的,属于法律漏洞,对之应以目的性限缩的方法适用之。     

过失犯罪法定刑配置探讨

我国刑法典关于过失犯罪法定刑配置的立法与其他国家相比,在立法技术上还有很多值得检讨的地方:从宏观上来看,我国刑法典对过失犯罪的法定刑规定与故意犯罪的法定刑规定落差太小,违背了"以处罚故意犯罪为原则,处罚过失犯罪为例外"的立法精神.从微观方面考察,业务过失犯罪的法定刑大多低于普通过失犯罪;对于过失危险犯,立法过于谨慎;罚金刑的规定过于笼统、宽泛,缺乏可操作性;过失犯罪的刑罚配置单一、不合理;诸多类型的过失罪法定刑配置缺乏协调性.这些立法缺陷的存在,容易导致司法裁判的不公,同时,也不利于对某些过失犯罪的打击.因此,有必要根据过失犯罪具有的特性将过失犯罪的法定刑配置作为一个类型化问题来进行探讨.     

Reforming the Human Tissue Acts

The Human Tissue Acts of the various States and Territories that were enacted following the 1977 Report of the Australian Law Reform Commission on Human Tissue Transplants are in need of an overhaul as a result of rapid advances in medical science and biotechnology, as well as growing public expectations regarding the ethical use of tissues and organs obtained from autopsies and other sources. The author argues that the time is ripe for a comprehensive review and revision of the Acts throughout the country in order to maintain a consistent approach.     

《鹿特丹规则》“法定仲裁地”规定研究

仲裁地通常由当事人在仲裁协议中约定,《鹿特丹规则》则规定对承运人提起索赔的一方可在仲裁协议约定地点以外的特定地点提起仲裁,“法定”仲裁地规定由此产生.从《鹿特丹规则》规定“法定仲裁地”的目的出发,对《鹿特丹规则》“法定仲裁地”规定加以详细剖析,指出其在实施过程中可能遭遇的障碍.鉴于“法定仲裁地”规定系《鹿特丹规则》的选择适用内容,中国没有必要立即将其引入国内法,而应当在仲裁法中构建仲裁地制度和临时仲裁制度,为其将来在中国的实施作准备.     

The effects of statutory change on the civil commitment of the mentally ill

Several states have revised their civil commitment statutes in recent years. A majority of the recent revisions reflect judicial directives to provide more explicit commitment criteria, but in some instances, criteria have been broadened in reaction to the difficulty of getting some individuals hospitalized under strict criteria. Such statutory changes have impacted considerably on both process and outcome of the civil commitment system. Adoption of explicit commitment criteria has resulted most visibly in substantial reduction of hospital admissions and census. The present study examines the impact of explicit changes in commitment criteria in Florida following the 1982 enactment of amendments to the Baker Act. A total of 80 commitment hearings are reviewed before and after the law took effect to determine procedural effects of the law on degree of defense counsel advocacy, client dispositions, and on the court's adherence to more explicit criteria. State hospital admissions, discharge, and census information is examined in order to identify the larger impact of 1982 statutory changes on the commitment system. Evidence from hearings and state data suggests that changes in the Florida law impacted significantly on both process and outcome of the civil commitment system. Clients referred to commitment hearings are more dangerous, and may represent a new hard-core group remaining after more explicit eligibility criteria are applied by local intake, and emergency detention facilities. State hospital admissions and census in Florida declined significantly following enactment of the 1982 law, consistent with findings from other states enacting similar statutory reforms. Implications for deinstitutionalization policy and administration are discussed.