Law clerks as an instrument of court–government accommodation under autocracy: the case of the Russian Constitutional Court

There is a normative expectation that constitutionalism does not co-exist well with autocracy. How do constitutional courts then uphold their integrity under authoritarianism? In this paper, I answer this question by taking the case of the Russian Constitutional Court (RCC) and showing how court–government accommodation in the new post-third wave autocracies can be achieved by limiting the amount of information the court receives from its secretariat. It follows from a detailed analysis of case selection in the RCC that the secretariat can function as an “insulator,” protecting the Court from political and reputational risks. The two features that make this possible are its invisibility to the judges and the clerks’ specific professional culture. The research is informed by an extensive series of in-depth interviews in the RCC, and benefits from the relocation of the RCC to St. Petersburg in 2008.     

In search of international criminal justice in Africa: What role for the United Nations?

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ran into considerable controversy almost immediately after its creation. More than 10 years later, the tension between the court and the AU is palpable. The court’s perceived political prosecutions as well as procedural flaws in light of the power bestowed on the UN Security Council under Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute are some of the areas of contention. However, despite the obvious flaws of the ICC, there is also widespread scepticism that the AU can be trusted to mobilise sufficient political will to deliver justice on the continent, more so in cases where the perpetrators are sitting heads of state or government. In lieu of cooperation with the ICC and the UN, can the AU deliver justice to victims of gross human rights abuses? Are extraordinary African Chambers such as the one created in Senegal to try the former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre an alternative to the ICC? This article argues that it is only through a partnership of convenience between the AU and the UN that victims of human rights abuses on the continent can access justice. Furthermore, the article opines that calls for African states to withdraw from the ICC en mass must be vigorously opposed.     

浅议从法院调解到诉讼和解

对法院调解的弊端探讨由来已久,诉讼和解具有法院调解的优点,同时也具有自身优点:在以当事人为主导的同时适当发挥法官的能动性,充分体现当事人自愿与处分权原则,因此,应当用诉讼和解来取代法院调解,使诉讼和解成为法院调解改革的方向。     

Reviews

Books reviewed:
Daintith and Page, The Executive in the Constitution: Structure, Autonomy, and Internal Control
Walters and Davis-White, Directors' Disqualification: Law and Practice
Collier and Lowe, The Settlement of International Disputes: Institutions and Procedures
Backhaus, The Elgar Companion to Law and Economics
Bouckaert, and de Geest Encyclopedia of Law and Economics. Vols I–IV
Ewing and Gearty, The Struggle for Civil Liberties: Political Freedom and the Rule of Law in Britain, 1914–1945
Dine, The Governance of Corporate Groups
Collins, Regulating Contracts
Karpik, French Lawyers A Study in Collective Action, 1274–1994
Aust, Modern Treaty Law and Practice
Douzinas, The End of Human Rights: Critical Legal Thought at the Turn of the Century
Cotterrell, Emile Durkheim: Law in a Moral Domain
Revesz, Sands and Stewarts, (eds) Sands and Stewarts (eds): Environmental Law, the Economy, and Sustainable Development     

了本唐乐古谱与中国宫廷燕乐--刘崇德先生日本唐乐研究述评

日本唐乐古谱是中国唐代音乐的异域留存,学界对其研究和解译非常关注,限于种种条件,多年来少有突破。词曲学家刘崇德先生此次将日本唐乐古谱十种整理出版,在对其进行基本文献研究和整理的基础上,对日本唐乐与我国唐代宫廷燕乐的直接关系、性质、乐律、曲型和结构等重要问题都做了深入研究。为我们深刻的揭开了日本唐乐古谱的神秘面纱。并借他山之石,为我们唐代宫廷燕乐、词乐、词体研究了、开辟了宽广道路。     

英美法系与大陆法系警察证人资格的理论与实践

无论是英美法系国家,还是大陆法系国家,警察均具有证人资格,必要时有义务根据控辩双方的要求或者法官的传唤出庭作证。     

衡平法、用益与信托:英国信托法的早期史概说

英美信托制源自用益制。在用益和信托的早期史上,大法官法院基于拯救受托人的良心的衡平管辖权赋予了用益和信托以法律上的保障,而衡平法从"良心到衡平"的变化通过塑造衡平权益使得信托得以制度化。     

高校司法鉴定人及其出庭问题研究

司法鉴定人的主体地位决定其是改善和健全现阶段司法鉴定制度的根本途径和关键环节。在当前司法实践中鉴定人出庭难、出庭率低等已成为亟待解决的弊病。高校司法鉴定人作为鉴定人的重要组成部分。在保障当事人合法权益、推进鉴定理论化进程等方面发挥着重要作用。高校司法鉴定人以其身份之特殊性在当今司法鉴定领域承栽着特殊的意义,对其出庭等相关问题的妥善解决必将打开完善我国司法鉴定人出庭制度的关键一环。     

当代中国社会保障权之可诉性透视——基于《人民法院案例选》（1992-2010）的文本分析

国家义务是实现社会保障权的法定义务。探讨社会保障权的可诉性,对全面把握和评判社会保障权之国家义务履行状况,具有决定性意义。以《人民法院案例选》（1992-2010）为参照系,当前中国对社会保障权的维护主要体现在社会保险权之工伤保险领域,在内容上主要表现为国家的尊重和保护义务。在明显具有给付性质或特征的社会保险权之养老保险、社会救助权、社会福利权等领域,国家对其法定义务的履行还任重而道远。在工伤认定案件中,法院对劳动者权利诉求的支持;以及在社会优抚权案件中,法院对《行政诉讼法》的扩张性解释,这些人性化举措都将如星星之火,可以燎原。     

Gender and Justice in the Progressive Era: An Investigation of Saint Louis Juvenile Court Cases, 1909–1912

There is increased interest in the history of the juvenile court and its role in the social control of youth. In this context, feminist scholars have emphasized the long‐standing legacy of the court's attempt to control girls' violations of gender images, particularly sexual behavior and status offenses. This perspective argues that girls are penalized more harshly than boys, despite being charged with less serious offenses. The present study tests hypotheses about the relationships between gender and charge, prehearing detention, and disposition using St. Louis juvenile court records for the years 1909–1912. Qualitative content analysis is used to probe more deeply the connection between gender and sexually based charges in the early history of the St. Louis juvenile court. Findings indicate that girls were subject to harsher forms of social control than boys, despite less serious charges, and that sexual behavior was described and treated much differently in girls' records than in boys'. Connections to contemporary practices are delineated.