Re-centralizing subsidiarity: Interpretations by the Italian Constitutional Court

Subsidiarity has become one of the key principles of European Union law since its introduction in the Treaty of Maastricht, but in recent years other federal or decentralized systems have cemented this principle into their constitutions: one example is Italy, where subsidiarity was encapsulated in art. 118 of the constitution as amended in 2001. This article surveys some of the contributions coming from Italian constitutionalism and adds to the debate on subsidiarity, especially with regards to the stimulating, yet controversial, interpretation of the principle offered by the Italian constitutional court, which permeated it with a “centralist” essence. The article explores how subsidiarity is construed beyond EU law and argues that, while revealing all the elasticity of this principle, the interpretation offered by the Italian constitutional judges presents some risky consequences.     

A Systematic Approach to Domestic Abuse–Informed Child Custody Decision Making in Family Law Cases

This article introduces an approach to domestic violence–informed decision making developed under the auspices of the National Child Custody Differentiation Project, a cooperative undertaking among the Battered Women's Justice Project, the Association of Family & Conciliation Courts, the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges, Praxis International, and the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. This approach has four essential elements: (1) identifying domestic abuse; (2) understanding the nature and context of domestic abuse; (3) determining the implications of abuse; and (4) accounting for the nature, context, and implications of abuse in all custody‐related recommendations and decisions.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:
• Applying a systematic approach to domestic violence can help practitioners identify, understand, and account for abuse in family law cases.
• The approach recommended here is suitable for use by anyone who is involved in a contested child custody case at any stage of the proceeding.
• The specific application of the recommended approach will vary depending upon the practitioner's role and function in the case, relationship to the parties, and access to information, as well as the nature of the proceeding and the issues to be decided.

     

The Interdisciplinary Settlement Conference: A Grassroots Alternative for Resolving High‐Conflict Parenting Disputes in Lean Times

This article describes a court‐connected alternative dispute resolution program, the Interdisciplinary Settlement Conference. The key feature of this program is the participation of two volunteer panelists, one a family law attorney and the other a mental health professional experienced in parenting disputes, who assist the judicial officer in working with the parties and their attorneys (if any) to reach a resolution of their parenting dispute. Significantly, in addition to addressing the parties’ legal issues, the panelists also address the parties’ psychological and emotional issues relevant to the dispute on an as‐needed basis. Findings from six years of experience with the program are discussed, including evidence of high satisfaction with the program, a high rate of settlement, a decrease in relitigation, and a concomitant savings of scarce judicial resources.     

宪政与和谐社会的构建

宪政,是和谐社会的基石。没有宪政,就没有民主、法治,公平正义、诚信友爱、充满活力、安定有序、人与自然和谐相处等和谐社会的价值目标就丧失了政治基础。     

少数人权利保护的法理述评

少数人权利保护的法理基础包括自由主义、社群主义、自由主义的多元文化主义、宪法爱国主义等。纵观少数人权利保护理论,尊重和认可少数人群体的文化价值、关照少数人在社会结构中的不利地位是共同特点。宪法爱国主义强调,在国家的族际关系整合过程中,要强化国家认同、公民身份认同,推动国家朝着立宪主义方向发展。对我国而言,尊崇宪法地位,以宪法精神凝聚各族群众,以宪法权威捍卫中华民族共同体基础,是少数民族权利保护的重要发展方向。     

论认罪认罚案件量刑建议精准化

随着认罪认罚从宽制度的广泛适用,检察机关不断加大量刑建议精准化改革力度。量刑建议精准化改革在理论与实践两个维度备受争议,其原因在于控辩双方具结活动的形式化、“明显不当”标准的模糊化、检察机关工作内容的复杂化,以及控审机关沟通关系的紧张化。对此,破解之道在于科学地把握量刑建议精准化改革背后的公诉权力变化,以此为前提统筹采取应对策略,包括划定精准刑量刑建议的适用范围、明确精准刑量刑建议的主要标准、推进审前具结活动的实质改造、提升精准刑量刑建议的质量水平、健全量刑建议的调整方案等方面,由此才能真正提升量刑建议精准化改革的实务成效。     

《中华民国临时约法》的主要缺陷

《中华民国临时约法》拉开了中国近代民主宪政的序幕 ,但历经十余载而归于失败。其失败的原因 ,除了当时政治环境的不利影响以及广大民众的民主意识低下外 ,临时约法本身的缺陷 ,如制定缺乏代表性、行政权力划分与现实政治状况相悖离、权力划分混乱等 ,也是导致其失败的重要原因。临时约法的缺陷及其失败 ,充分昭示了中国从传统专制国家向近代民主国家过渡的进程中所遇到的种种困难。     

试论行政强制执行模式之重构

行政强制执行权的归属与分配是建立行政强制执行制度的前提和基础，文章通过分析我国现行“以申请人民法院执行为原则，以行政机关自力执行为例外”的行政强制执行模式存在的弊端、影响因素。主张建立“以行政机关自力执行为主，以人民法院执行为辅”的新型模式，并试图提供保障新模式运行的相关配套措施和制度。     

清末立宪中的满族因素

学术界关于清末立宪的研究,主要纠缠于其是否为骗局,但是这并没有揭示该问题的实质。对满洲贵族而言,其关心的显然不是君主立宪制与君主制孰优孰劣的问题,而是宪政对其权力构成的根本挑战。令其为难的是:不实行宪政,清政府将被推翻;实行宪政,根据代议制原则,其亦将失去对政权的控制。因此,面临现实的困境,满清政府只能采取拖延策略,直至被推翻。     

我国地方税权的确立及其运行机制研究

The local tax rights is not only related to national and social stability,but also conducive to the healthy functioning local government authorities. To devide tax power scientific and normative,it should strive to combine the central right diligently leading with moderate local power. It means the division of tax power should take full account of the power demand and financial expenditure of local governments. To wisely and rationally choose a main local tax category,we should reform and adjust the local s...