THE EVOLUTION—OR END—OF MARRIAGE?: REFLECTIONS ON THE IMPASSE OVER SAME‐SEX MARRIAGE

The debate over legalizing same‐sex marriage implicates the question of whether doing so would signal the end—or destruction—of the institution of marriage. The appeal to preserving a millennia‐old tradition of marriage against change fails to reckon with the evolution that has already occurred. Invocations of gender complementarity between parents as essential to child well‐being also conflict with growing recognition in family law that children's best interests can be served by gay and lesbian parents. Canada's path toward same‐sex marriage suggests that impasse need not be inevitable. In the United States, this impasse stems in part from the problem that same‐sex marriage serves as an emblem of everything that threatens marriage.     

论我国行政指导制度的完善

行政指导在政府宏观调控和社会管理中发挥着越来越重要的作用,已成为我国行政法制建设和现代行政管理方式改革的重要组成部分。但是,我国的行政指导制度还存在许多问题,迫切需要对这些问题进行深刻剖析,重新对我国行政指导制度的完善进行架构:第一,培育现代行政意识,提高行政指导观念;第二,确立行政指导的基本原则;第三,健全行政指导的基本制度;第四,建立行政指导的救济制度;第五,构建行政指导的程序约束机制。     

To Wonderland Through the Looking-glass: Conceiving a Critical Legal Argument for Contractual Justice in the South African Law of Contract †

The aim of this paper is to identify the possible substructure (looking glass/es) of a critical legal argument for contractual justice (Wonderland) in the South African law of contract. South African contract law still fails, ten years after the constitutional transformation, to reflect the constitutional ideals of freedom, equality and human dignity in an acceptable manner. I argue that this disposition places a question mark over the legitimacy of contract law and marginalizes opportunities for the social change envisaged by the Constitution. The paper explores Duncan Kennedy’s Form and Substance-argument and indicates that the reluctance to accommodate these values may be attributable to the fact that the majority of role-players position themselves on the individualism/rules side of Kennedy’s continuum – a paradigm that perceives the law of contract as a body of positivistic rules to be applied neutrally and regardless of the social or socio-economic distortions its application may generate. In an attempt to move away from this traditional approach, the privileged paradigm is criticised. A typical CLS-approach is followed which employs sociology, psychological jurisprudence and game theory to criticise the law from outside the restrictive realms of law itself. Simultaneously, I attempt to illuminate the argument for a shift (step through the looking glass) to another paradigm. I conclude that our judiciary finds itself in a position similar to that of Plato’s prisoners in the cave and will not reach the point where they apply relevant (constitutional) values directly to contractual disputes. The State is thus responsible for infusing contract law with contractual justice, by implementing legislation to this effect in order to limit the hegemonic consequences of the judiciary’s obsession with freedom of contract and utopian rules, which fail in reality to further the ideal of justice. Paper presented at the Critical Legal Conference, 4 September 2004, London, UK. This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Judge of Appeal, Mr. Justice P.J. Olivier. The paper is based on research conducted for the thesis in partial fulfilment of the degree LLD in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria under the title ‘A critical legal argument for contractual justice in the South African law of contract.’ The degree supervisor is Professor Karin van Marle in the Department of Legal History, Comparative Law and Jurisprudence. The author wishes to thank the following persons for valuable deliberations and input: Karin van Marle, Graham Bradfield and Anashri Pillay. In addition, the author wishes to acknowledge and thank the University of Cape Town for financially supporting this research. †Paper presented at the Critical Legal Conference, 4 September 2004, London, UK. This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Judge of Appeal, Mr. Justice P.J. Olivier. The paper is based on research conducted for the thesis in partial fulfilment of the degree LLD in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria under the title ‘A critical legal argument for contractual justice in the South African law of contract.’ The degree supervisor is Professor Karin van Marle in the Department of Legal History, Comparative Law and Jurisprudence. The author wishes to thank the following persons for valuable deliberations and input: Karin van Marle, Graham Bradfield and Anashri Pillay. In addition, the author wishes to acknowledge and thank the University of Cape Town for financially supporting this research. apply relevant (constitutional) values directly to contractual disputes. The State is thus responsible for infusing contract law with contractual justice, by implementing legislation to this effect in order to limit the hegemonic consequences of the judiciary’s obsession with freedom of contract and utopian rules, which fail in reality to further the ideal of justice.     

Resignifications and subversive transformations: Judith Butler’s queer theory and women who kill

This article provides an empirical study of a number of cases dealing with women who kill their abusive partners and the construction of the battered woman syndrome in order to identity the possibilities for transformation within the legal system. Drawing upon the work of Judith Butler, the article will argue that the unstable nature of social terms and the nature of social power provides the potential for resignifying and subversively transforming the gender identities constructed and perpetuated by the law. In addition to outlining the defences for murder and engaging in a close examination of the cases, the article will also provide a critical analysis of Judith Butler’s approach to subject formation. Dr Anna Carline LLB (Hons), LLM, PhD. Law Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University.     

构建和谐社会对行政执法的影响

和谐社会是人类文明社会追求的一种理想社会形态,而依法治国与依法行政是实现与构建和谐社会的必备要求,本文从行政执法的角度分析构建和谐社会对行政执法的影响,以期待完善行政执法质量,提高行政执法水平,实现和谐社会。     

从祖灵意识谈儒道起源及其同流

祖灵意识是贯穿中国上古文化的一条思想主线,在此基础上,逐渐形成了中国儒道两家思想。道家偏重继承了女性祖灵意识,儒家则承接了男性祖灵意识,前者代表一种柔软无为的精神,后者则表达了刚强进取的情怀。儒道两家是在祖灵意识的发展中逐渐分化出来的。     

未来社会新的发展观探祈

确立未来社会新的发展观是面向21世纪全人类无法回避的课题。未来社会新的发展观的基本取向是 :从改造自然、技术、环境等转向改变人类自己。     

论紊乱犯罪现场逆现性

紊乱犯罪现场是案犯犯罪行为的物化反映,储存着犯罪主体及相关事物的信息。感知能力强的勘查人员具有辩证思维能力,能把自己对客观环境认识的合理性输入到紊乱的特殊环境中,理出紊乱犯罪现场发生、发展的整个头绪。     

将本应履行合同的财产挪作他用的行为是否构成合同诈骗的思考

在实践中,合同诈骗案件经常出现争议。或是公安机关抓了人而检察部门不捕、不诉,或是受害人举报被骗而公安机关不予立案,再是犯罪嫌疑人四处投诉公安机关插手经济纠纷。于是不得不就定性问题逐案开会研究,将大量的精力消耗在对检察院不捕、不诉决定的复议复核上,消耗在对当事人投诉公安机关推诿渎职、插手经济纠纷的解释答复上。其中把本应履行合同的财产挪作他用的案件最为突出。     

论股东大会决议瑕疵的法律救济

股东大会决议是股份有限公司的最高意思表示。由于种种原因 ,股东大会决议往往存在瑕疵 ,对其进行必要的法律救济 ,是维护公司利益 ,保护股东和第三人的合法权益的客观要求。我国《公司法》在这方面的规定还非常欠缺 ,有必要加以完善。