The strategic use of dismissal legislation: an empirical analysis using Spanish data

In this paper, we analyse empirically how the legal framework affects the relationship between labour market conditions and dismissals. We use a pseudo-panel of Spanish data from 1987 to 2001. We find that Labour Law reforms have effects on the use of individual and collective dismissals although such effects are much lower than those related to the business cycle. The results also show a strategic use of the different types of dismissals, distorting the work of those institutions involved in dismissals.      

SENSITIZING PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CONCERNS: The Perspective of the New York State Parent Education Advisory Board

Education programs for divorcing and separating parents are a valuable vehicle for providing to parents the awareness, knowledge, and skills that can lead to a smoother transition and healthier outcomes for their children. Attention to safety concerns in referral guidelines, administrative protocols, and curriculum content is integral to the efficacious and responsible delivery of parent education. This article examines the recent experience of New York State in developing guidelines for safety and quality assurance in parent education programs.     

ROMANCING THE COURT

Problem‐solving courts, created at the end of the twentieth century, make court‐based solutions central to addressing significant societal problems, such as substance abuse and its impact on criminal activity and family functioning. Yet, lessons gleaned from over 100 years of family court history suggest that court‐based solutions to intractable social problems have rarely been effective. This article asks three questions of the problem‐solving court movement: What problem are we trying to solve? Is the court the best place to solve the problem? What are the consequences of giving authority to a court for solving the problem? Answering those questions through the lens of specific examples from family court—the original problem‐solving court—leads to the conclusion that neither the structural issues that courts face, such as overwhelming numbers of cases, nor the momentous societal issues that problem‐solving courts have recently begun to shoulder can be adequately addressed through court‐based solutions. The factors that allegedly distinguish new problem‐solving courts from earlier exemplars, especially the family court, are both less unique and less successful than they have been portrayed by problem‐solving court enthusiasts. These factors alone fail to justify the expansion of problem‐solving courts without further evidence of their effectiveness. Moreover, the potential dangers inherent in problem‐solving courts are not theoretical. By examining illustrative examples from the history of the family court, the dangers become clearly apparent.     

Constitutional courts as arbiters of post-conflict territorial self-government: Bosnia and Macedonia

Constitutional and supreme courts frequently end up examining the political and legal questions at the heart of peace agreements and post-conflict constitutions. Where a peace agreement has included territorial self-government (TSG) provisions courts are often endowed with the capacity to adjudicate disputes between state and sub-state levels of government. The effectiveness of courts in fulfilling this role as not been comprehensively examined. This article fills this important gap examining whether the results of existing research on the role of constitutional and supreme courts in resolving disputes in traditional federalism also apply in these particular circumstances. It finds that where TSG is used as a conflict management mechanism judicial review can have centralizing tendencies if this occurs it can largely be attributed to the processes used to select though the devolutionary multinational nature of the states is also relevant.     

宪法司法化的再反思——从“宪法司法化第一案”被废止谈起

宪法司法化一直存在于我国的司法实践中。宪法司法化是从宪法走向宪政的必由之路。没有司法化,宪法只停留在纯粹的理论层面,就不能成为完全意义的法,国家就不可能实现宪政。从当前各国的宪政实践看,宪法司法化的观念也逐步被世界绝大多数国家所接受,这些国家都建立了诉讼的机构和程序,对宪法进行司法适用。目前宪法司法化在我国存在着许多的障碍,不可能一蹴而就,最高人民法院在对有关宪法司法化的司法解释存废之间的艰难抉择中选择了后者也印证了这一趋势。     

我国商事诉讼制度的解析与重构

基于民商实体法之间的显著差异,导致商事诉讼在许多方面均区别于民事诉讼。无论是否设有独立的商事法院,商事诉讼仍以不同的形式在各国得以存在。重构我国的商事诉讼制度,应以既有的民事诉讼制度为基础,同时建立若干适应商法特性的特别诉讼制度来实现商法的功能。     

LISTEN TO ME! EMPOWERING YOUTH AND COURTS THROUGH INCREASED YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN DEPENDENCY HEARINGS

Currently, there are more than half a million youth in foster care. Often, these youth are unaware of when, or if, legal hearings about their lives are taking place. This Note advocates for states to pass laws ensuring that youth receive notice of their hearings and for courts to conduct review hearings when youth are not present. Through the course of this Note, the benefits of youth participation are outlined, as are the reasons most often given for denying youth the opportunity to meaningfully participate. The Note concludes with suggestions to help courts more effectively engage youth and the benefits of doing so.     

基层人民法院审判公开的现状与展望——基于庭审旁听的实证研究

审判公开是看得见的正义,公众积极参与庭审旁听对推动审判公开具有不可忽视的作用。近年来基层法院在当事人参加诉讼、社会公众参与旁听审判这种传统途径下的审判公开实施效果有限,究其原因,制约审判公开实施效果有制度方面、社会公众心理认知方面及法院自身方面等因素。为此,应建立和完善庭审旁听关联制度、完善信息公告系统、扩大庭审旁听的便民措施、将庭审旁听人数纳入阳光司法考核体系,这样,才能使庭审旁听制度更加完善,并加快司法公开的进程。     

美国服刑人员诉诸司法之权利的宪法保护研究——以美国宪法判例为对象

在美国,服刑人员诉诸司法之权利是一项受宪法保护的基本权利。这一权利的基本权利性质并非来自于宪法文本的明文规定,而是由宪法判例加以确认的。从服刑人员诉诸司法之权利领域的案例法发展历程来看,美国联邦最高法院的司法判断决定了服刑人员诉诸司法之权利受到保护的层次、程度和范围,其中1977年的邦德斯案具有里程碑意义。虽然立法和行政对这一案例法的发展状况也产生了一定影响,但司法的独特功能是实现对服刑人员诉诸司法之权利进行宪法保护的根本保障。     

Rush-hour traffic: self-presentation of defendants in speedy traffic court cases

Much work examines self-presentation styles; however, little work explores how people present themselves in traffic court. Utilizing observatory research, we aim to better understand differences in physical presentation and demeanor in traffic court. Further, judges that work in traffic court were interviewed to see how they understood the importance of presentation of self. Data indicate that most of those who appear in traffic court aim to present themselves professionally and behave with respect while in court. This appears to be a wise decision because judges tended to think that presentation of self was an important variable in their courtroom and how they evaluated cases. Still, differences in presentation of self appeared in the courtroom especially with regard to dress – extremely casual to orange jumpsuits. Finally, we argue that while modern defendants aim to present professionally the overall ‘professional’ presentation of self, even in the courtroom, is casual dress.