“利用影响力受贿罪”若干问题研究——以《联合国反腐败公约》为视角

为因应现实中复杂多样的腐败行为以及履行《联合国反腐败公约》所确立的义务,《刑法修正案（七）》第13条设立了刑法规范对部分影响力交易行为予以规制。其罪名宜确定为“利用影响力受贿罪”。相较于《联合国反腐败公约》,本罪处罚范围明显过窄。本罪主体中近亲属的范围应依刑事诉讼法划定;同时,国家工作人员亦有构成本罪的可能。     

浅析美国宪法解释的原旨主义与非原旨主义方法——基于美国公用征收案例中公共使用条款的解读

在当下,为实现宪法的价值,应当重视宪法解释制度已经成为学界的共识。面对宪法的高度概括性,宪法解释的方法问题就成为关键。通过解读美国公用征收案例中“公共使用”条款的判断标准,对美国宪法解释中的原旨主义以及非原旨主义进行梳理,可以为宪法解释提供合理之途径。     

"激活"人大预算审批权力——评承德政府预算两遭人大驳回

人大掌控政府预算审批权是民主政治的基本要求,也是预防腐败、增进民众信任、建设社会主义和谐社会的重要保障。但目前我国在人大代表人员组成、会议议期、议事规则、预算财政年度、初审程序、预算信息公开等方面的制度缺陷,直接限制了人大监督作用的发挥。同时,人大代表缺少对预算草案的修正权也间接妨碍了人大审批权的实际实施。欲激活人大的预算审批权,应进一步推进财政信息公开、赋予代表对预算案的修正权、调整预算年度、强化预算初审,并逐步完善我国的人民代表大会制度。     

论农民宪法权利平等保护的国家义务

农民宪法权利的完美实现必须以国家义务的合法有效履行为前提和核心。从横向上看,与农民宪法权利的多重权能面向相对应,国家对其依次负有尊重、保护和给付的宪法义务;从纵向上看,以上任何国家义务的履行都必须以平等保护为其核心议题。实现农民宪法权利的平等保护,国家不仅要树立“以人为本”、“公平至上”的宪法理念,同时还必须在此基础上设计出具体的平等保护路径。     

Shooting Down a Hijacked Plane—The German Discussion and Beyond

The article examines whether state officials may shoot down a hijacked airplane which carries uninvolved passengers, if it is known that the plane will be used against the lives of other human beings. In its first sections, it explains the German Federal Constitutional Court’s verdict against such a permission, and it scrutinizes the crucial arguments in this ruling (restrictions on the use of military weapons; human dignity arguments). The author then extends the discussion beyond the path taken by the court. She examines the defensive claims of passengers aboard the plane and the protective claims of potential victims who are present at the hijackers’ target zone. In contrast to the German Federal Constitutional Court, she concludes that state officials must take the claims of both groups of potential victims equally serious, and that such conditions allow applying a consequentialist calculus (“save the greater number”) because it is the only way out of a genuine dilemma.     

Kids are Different: The United States Supreme Court Reforms Youth Sentencing Practices for Youth Prosecuted in the Criminal Justice System

In a series of decisions issued between 2005‐2016, the United States Supreme Court relied on emerging scientific research detailing the developmental differences between children and adults to revamp its juvenile sentencing jurisprudence under the Eighth Amendment. The research established that youth’s developmental immaturity reduces their culpability for their criminal conduct, while also demonstrating their heightened capacity for change and rehabilitation. The Court focused on the most extreme sentences for youth, banning the imposition of the death penalty on youth under the age of eighteen in Roper v. Simmons (2005), and severely limiting the availability of life without parole sentences even for youth convicted of murder, in Graham v Florida (2010) and Miller v Alabama (2012). This article traces the Court’s evolution in reviewing sentences for youth in our justice system, and considers how the Court’s reasoning in these cases may influence further reforms in the justice system’s treatment of youth looking ahead.     

MAGNA CARTA AND THE AMERICAN POLITICAL IMAGINATION: TWO INSTANCES OF HABEAS CORPUS VINDICATED

Magna Carta has long been understood as a source of inspiration for the U.S. Constitution, and especially its enshrinement of the writ of habeas corpus — the right of any prisoner to test his or her detention according to the law. In the “Suspension Clause” of the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 8), Congress is granted permission to suspend habeas corpus only “when in cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.” This article surveys two failed attempts by the U.S. government to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. The first (which was actually the very first such attempt) was in 1807 and followed revelations of the so-called Burr Conspiracy. The second (incidentally the most recent in American history) occurred during the War on Terror and culminated with the Supreme Court’s decision of Boumediene vs Bush in 2008. A close examination of these two historical episodes reveals just how different were the constitutional processes of the early republic and contemporary times. Additionally, comparing the uses of Magna Carta during the two episodes demonstrates marked changes in American political culture. Historical consciousness, vital to early Americans’ understanding of their political system, has shifted to an elite level. Likewise, the protection of fundamental liberties has migrated from the popular branch of government (Congress) to the elite one (the Supreme Court). This article considers the implication of this shift in both constitutional processes and historical consciousness.     

论五四宪法的国际化和本土化--对五四宪法与苏联三六宪法的比较研究

五四宪法在诸多方面受苏联三六宪法的影响 ,但并没有照抄照搬苏联三六宪法 ,而是借鉴了苏联三六宪法的社会主义性质又考虑了中国国情 ,是本土化与国际化结合的典范。     

论法人的基本权利主体地位

美国宪法并没有规定公司是基本权利主体,美国联邦最高法院在很多判例中亦认定美国宪法的特权与豁免条款不适用于公司。宪法第14修正案通过后,尤其是自19世纪80年代以来,美国联邦最高法院逐渐将宪法的保护扩大适用于公司,使得公司成为某些宪法基本权利的主体。这一转变迎合了美国经济发展的需要,使得国内统一大市场的建立成为可能。本文借鉴美国的宪法实践,细致梳理了公司作为基本权利主体的相关理论。     

司法赔偿中确认程序之检讨及前瞻

在我国《国家赔偿法》中,确认程序是赔偿请求人获得司法赔偿的必经程序,然而由于现行的司法赔偿的确认程序存在着主体中立性不足、确认期限缺省、确认标准模糊、确认救济途径单一等诸多不足,使得确认程序遭致广泛的批评。对待确认程序的理性态度是揭示出其生成的宪政体制因素,并以此为基础将现行司法赔偿确认程序设计成可选择的程序,并在人大中设立最终处理机关。