The Totemic Authority of the Court

This article examines the place of the court within civil religion. It is argued that every civil religion is rooted in a magical anchor that in contemporary democratic civil religions is provided by the court. While in most institutions of civil religion totemic authority is represented, in court it is present. Therefore, court proceedings are occurrences of magic: they are performances (rituals and ceremonies) during which the sacred Thing is present. In court, the law itself and the clerical community to which it was entrusted assume the characteristics of the sacred Thing. The law appears under two facets: on the one hand, it is a norm and a word while, on the other hand, it is a Thing devoid of meaning and reason. Formalism is a magical mode of thinking that treats law as a timeless and meaningless Thing. In the course of the argument, the distinctions between ceremony and ritual, between social structure and communitas, and between religion and magic are reformulated, and the concepts of zone of familiarity and clerical community are laid out in a nutshell. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Sustained Outcomes? an Exploratory Study of Juvenile Drug Courts and Long-Term Recidivism

This exploratory study examined juvenile drug courts’ effect on adulthood recidivism. Utilizing a twelve-year average follow up time, adult recidivism rates were compared between previous juvenile drug court participants and a comparison group of juveniles who participated in traditional probation. Linear regression models indicated limited recidivism effects of drug court on arrests or convictions into adulthood. The findings suggest that gender and race may play a role in how justice-involved juveniles interact and experience juvenile drug court, highlighting the need for gender-responsive and culturally responsive policies, practices, and programs within juvenile drug courts. Recommendations are made regarding future research areas and ways to potentially improve long-term juvenile drug court outcomes.     

Vulnerability,Agency and the Ambivalence of Place in Narratives of Rape in Three High-Profile Swedish Cases

For decades, the media have frequently been instrumental in framing rape cases by linking the deed with the place. This study demonstrates that law courts are not innocent of such social framing; on the contrary, they are significant agents. We argue that courts, by shaping the plot in rape cases, participate in an ongoing cultural production of meaning, although in a more subtle and ambivalent way than the media. In a narrative analysis of three contemporary rape cases in Sweden, we bring together feminist research on place with the concepts of vulnerability and agency. We argue that place is framed as ambivalent in relation to vulnerability and agency, and dependent on the positioning of plaintiff and defendant. In court narratives, geographical places are made relevant, including the locations where the alleged rapes took place. Court narratives of rape include highly ambivalent connotations with place in relation to vulnerability and agency, distinguished by different narratives and outcomes in the various instances. The legal and social implications of our work should include an awareness of the relevance of place in relation to rape.     

陕甘宁边区高等法院对民事习惯的调查、甄别与适用

从1942年5月开始,陕甘宁边区高等法院通过法院系统内部上下级部署工作和学习任务的形式,以县为单位,由各县审判人员对本县的风俗习惯进行了比较系统的调查和甄别。截止1944年9月,该院共收集到8个县69条具有权利义务内容的民事习惯,并由收集者对之进行了初步的甄别。在此基础上,该院在民事案件的审理中适用了某些习惯。民事习惯的调查、甄别和适用,促进了审判人员对社会的了解和对民事习惯的认知,丰富了民事案件审判工作。该院虽然对所收集到的习惯进行了简单的整理,但未能完成系统的分析,也未制定出相关的政策和规则,因此这次调查未能发挥出更大的作用。     

既判力的作用及其在我国顺畅运行的保障

如果说诉权论是关于诉讼出发的理论,那么既判力论可以说是诉讼终结点的理论。目前,德、日等国对既判力论的研究较为深刻、规范和精致,而我国不仅在立法上轻视,且在司法实践中也十分漠视,因此,对既判力论的探讨非常必要。     

互联网法院的程序法困境及出路

互联网法院借助互联网技术审理特定类型的涉互联网案件,以全流程在线办理为原则,改变了诉讼行为发生的时空条件.互联网法院在现阶段面临的程序法困境主要包括设立依据有违法定法官原则、管辖范围的界定不够妥当、在线庭审的规则创新冲击民事司法之基本原则、诉讼规则忽视对当事人处分权和平等权的保障等方面.从立法上明确互联网法院的试点法院...     

文本·结构·功能——软法之于欧盟宪政的地位描述与作用分析

在欧盟宪政发展进程中，在硬法发挥作用的同时，欧盟软法所占据的地位与所发挥的作用也同样值得重视与研究。在文本意义上，欧盟软法在欧盟宪法性条约中占有很大的比重，在结构意义上，欧盟软法成为了欧盟治理结构发展、变化的一个重要机制，在功能意义上，欧盟软法成为了欧盟法律秩序形成的先导性力量。     

论违宪审查在东欧国家转型中的作用

东欧转型在法制方面的一项重要内容是普遍建立以宪法法院为审判机构的集中违宪审查制度。宪法法院通过对宪法文本中法治原则的阐释以实现国家转型的法治目标。宪法法院阐释的法治原则内容具体包括法的安定原则、分权原则、合比例原则、司法独立原则和基本权利司法救济保障原则等五项原则。     

A COMMENT ON WILLIAM J. HOWE AND HUGH MCISAAC'S ARTICLE “FINDING THE BALANCE” PUBLISHED IN THE JANUARY 2008 ISSUE OF FAMILY COURT REVIEW

This article is a response to an article written by William Howe and Hugh McIsaac that questions their recommendations that court‐based mediation not be used when certain types of persons appear in court. We assert that it will be very difficult for the court to identify these people. Further, we argue that mediation practice has advanced so far that even these persons (those with serious issues of domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental health) should be given an opportunity to participate in mediation before being referred to the adversarial court process.     

日本非行少年的法律保护及启示

在日本,少年非行是指14岁以上20岁未满少年的犯罪行为、14岁未满少年的触法行为以及虞犯等三方面的总称,主要由《少年法》及《儿童福祉法》等法律予以规制。《少年法》以少年的人权保障和健康成长为目的、以保护主义的社会复归为理念,与《儿童福祉法》等共同构成非行少年的法律保护体系。家庭裁判所以少年事件为主要审理对象、以保护处分为主要处罚手段,与社会福祉性质的儿童相谈所共同担负起日本的少年保护事业。官民协动与社会参与制度是对我们的最大的启示,我国要进一步加强少年保护理念的转变,完善我国的少年保护体制,将其建设成为全民参与的社会事业。