证明责任自由裁量权研究

在民事诉讼中,如果案件事实真伪不明,法官要根据证明责任规则处理案件。在我国,法官拥有证明责任自由裁量权,当依据法律与司法解释无法确定证明责任分配时,法官可以根据公平原则和诚实信用原则,综合当事人举证能力等因素确定举证责任的承担。这项权力存在很大问题,公平不宜作为证明责任的分配依据,会削弱司法的独立性。同时,这项权力的规定不符合立法法的宗旨,也不存在适用的现实性。     

全球化时代的挑战与国际法院的咨询管辖权——纪念国际法院成立60周年

国际社会在历经威斯特伐里亚体系时期和国际社会组织化时期之后进入了全球化时代。这一时代给国际法提出了如下挑战如何应对国际法的碎裂和国际性法庭大量增多两大现象。作为维护国际社会公正的权威司法部门,国际法院必须对此做出反应。考虑到法院诉讼管辖权的局限,充分利用国际法院的咨询管辖权应该才是国际社会应对全球化所带来的挑战的最佳方法。与此同时,鉴于既往的经验,充分利用咨询管辖权必须坚持正确的理念。     

公安行政执法公正性探微

在我国现行法律体系下,公安行政执法的内容相当丰富。但由于各种因素的制约,公正在公安行政执法中并未得到充分体现。适度控制行政自由裁量权、严格遵守行政执法程序、优化行政执法监督和责任制建设是实现公安行政执法公正性的有效保障措施。     

试论司法公正与诉讼效率－－兼评“普通程序简易化”

当前,诉讼法学界对司法改革的研讨逐步深入,作为对实践呼声的回应,诉讼效率问题又引起了更多的关注。刑事诉讼效率应具有双重内涵,一要符合诉讼经济原则,二要满足人们对司法公正的要求。诉讼效率与司法公正密不可分,二者理应是一致的。对于效率与公正的关系,可用两句话概括:提高诉讼效率是实现司法公正的基本保证;过度追求诉讼效率则可能影响司法公正。因此,“公正优先,兼顾效率”应当是处理效率与公正关系的总原则。     

Intimations of Unconstitutionality: The Supremacy of International Law and Judgment 238/2014 of the Italian Constitutional Court

Judgment 238/2014 of the Italian Constitutional Court reopens the debate on the extent of the immunity enjoyed by states for violations of jus cogens. The decision, which questions the authority of the ICJ's 2012 judgment in Germany v Italy, could certainly have effects on the formation of customary international law. In addition, it revives the discussion on the relationship between national and international law and on the supremacy of the latter over the former, especially if read in light of the previous Medellín and Kadi I decisions. Judgment 238/2014 is an opportunity to reappraise the role played by international law in domestic courts, particularly in cases where international law conflicts with core domestic constitutional values.     

社会救助制度建立的正当性——基于实质平等原则的分析

社会救助的制度供给是针对“强”竞争社会中的“弱”势群体,是基于平等原则的要求,给予弱势群体的合理性差别对待。而平等原则之所以能够成为现代国家所标榜的社会规则,究其原因在于平等原则所具有的社会正义性特质。从形式平等到实质平等的正义性矫正,从禁止不合理分类到合理差别待遇的正义性追求,平等原则透视出制度正义的原理并为当前社会救助制度提供了正当性的说理。     

Assessing effective participation in vulnerable juvenile defendants

Effective participation in trial is outlined under article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and refers to the ability to understand and engage in trial. Juvenile defendants are often referred to psychologists or psychiatrists by their solicitors to establish ‘effective participation’ capacity. In the USA, key components to participate effectively are defined and standardised assessments available. In the UK, no formal measures exist. A consecutive series of 20 adolescents aged 12–20 years, referred by their solicitors to our service, were assessed using a standardised battery and a semi-structured interview designed to assess effective participation. Fifty-five per cent had at least one neurodevelopmental disorder. Low IQ was common and 50% had age-equivalent language scores below 10 years. Rates of depression, anxiety and PTSD were high. Knowledge about trial was poor. These findings have implications for Criminal Justice System professionals and to ensure fair trials for young defendants.     

Understanding Pathways to Family Dispute Resolution and Justice Reforms: Ontario Court File Analysis & Survey of Professionals

This article reports on two related studies about varying pathways to the resolution of family disputes and the effects of family justice reforms in Ontario: a survey of family court professionals (n = 118) and an analysis of 1,000 closed court files of family cases involving children. Both studies reveal that the vast majority of cases are resolved without a trial, often by negotiation. While professionals generally support family justice reform initiatives, there remain significant gaps in the implementation of these strategies. For example, many litigants do not attend information programs despite the requirement for mandatory attendance; there is limited use of mediation; the views of children are being sought in only a small number of cases; and there is a large proportion of self‐represented family litigants. Despite the increase in shared care and joint decision‐making arrangements, a majority of cases in the court file study were sole custody arrangements to the mother, whether the case was settled or resolved by trial. Mediation was associated with greater time of contact with the non–primary residential parent (usually the father).     

论司法的原初与衍生功能

在"司法改革"如火如荼的当下中国,讨论我国的法院或者法官应该扮演怎样的角色,应是学界认真考虑的一个课题。本文以一种复眼式的角度,把司法功能分为原初功能与衍生功能。文章认为,作为原初功能,司法的纠纷解决还包括中介、缓和及促进纠纷解决等子功能。而以历史演变为线索,现代司法的衍生功能则包括法律维护与规则创设、权力制约与权利保障、社会控制与政策推进等功能。     

Collection and direct amplification methods using the GlobalFiler™ kit for DNA recovered from common pipe bomb substrates

When analyzing DNA from exploded pipe bombs, quantities are often in trace amounts, making DNA typing extremely difficult. Amplifying minute amounts of DNA can cause stochastic effects resulting in partial or uninterpretable profiles. Therefore, the initial DNA collection from “touch” evidence must be optimized to maximize the amount of DNA available for analysis.This proof-of-concept study evaluated two different swab types with two direct amplification strategies to identify the most effective method for recovering DNA from common pipe bomb substrates. PVC and steel pipes, electrical tape, and copper wire spiked with epithelial cells were swabbed with cotton or microFLOQ® Direct Swabs and amplified directly or via a pre-treatment prior to STR amplification.Not only was the microFLOQ® Direct Swab protocol the quickest method with the least risk of contamination, but in combination with direct amplification, the microFLOQ® Direct Swabs also generated the most complete STR profiles.