They Sell Skulls Online?! A Review of Internet Sales of Human Skulls on eBay and the Laws in Place to Restrict Sales

Internet sales of human remains occur despite the existence of laws prohibiting such action in most jurisdictions. The most popular public platform for online sales, eBay, allows users to postskeletal material for sale, largely anonymously and without much fear of legal repercussions. This survey of skeletal sales was conducted 10 years after the first article published about online human remains sales. A review of current laws reveals that, while many states have laws that restrict any sale of human remains, those laws have questionable deterrent effect. Assessing the skeletal material posted for sale provides law enforcement agencies with a necessary starting point to curtail the sale of human remains through enforcement of existing laws. Ultimately, the goal is to stem the commodification of such items and to recover skeletal material, especially that which may be of archaeological or forensic significance, and provide the proper final disposition for such material.     

Legal responses to child sexual abuse cases in the Children’s Court of Victoria: study findings on a case-management approach

Child sexual abuse cases present Children’s Courts with distinctive challenges. The highly conflictual nature of child sexual abuse cases means they do not lend themselves to the usual adversarial court processes that characterise the conduct of Magistrate Court matters in Australia. With this in mind, the Children’s Court in Victoria established for 12 months in 2013 a pilot specialised judicial list (known as the ‘D’ List) which offered an intensive Magistrate-led case management approach to child sexual abuse cases in the Family (child protection) Division of the Court. The operation of the List was evaluated to assess the suitability and effectiveness of this approach, and to investigate the challenges associated with managing and deciding this class of cases. The findings confirmed that the List provided better management of cases and reduced delay. Given this, the Court is continuing the judicially proactive intensive case management approach and dedicated list for child sexual abuse matters and extending it to regional courts; believing it to be a more effective approach to managing and deciding this complex class of cases.     

European Law Beyond ‘Ever Closer Union’ Repositioning the Concept,its Thrust and the ECJ's Comparative Methodology

The article investigates competing understandings of European law. It supports, against the prevailing EU‐centred understanding, an ecumenical concept that embraces EU law, supplementing international instruments, the European Convention on Human Rights and, importantly, various domestic laws enacting or responding to such transnational law, as well as European comparative law. To keep the concept in sync with European politics, it posits a new idea that binds the parts together: to provide for a European legal space rather than further European integration (the ever closer union). This idea can also serve as European law's functional equivalent to forming one legal order. European law thus conceived grasps the puzzling complex of interdependent legal orders, sets a common frame for corresponding reconstructions (European composite constructions, legal pluralism, network theories, federalism or intergovernmentalism) and allows forces with diverging outlooks to meet in one legal field, on one more neutral disciplinary platform. Within this framework, European comparative law finds a new mission as well as a sound legal basis.     

通过司法判决塑造公众法治观念

通过司法判决塑造公众法治观念不仅具有必要性而且具有可能性。司法判决可以改善法治环境和人文条件,矫正传统清官文化与法治观念的错位与背离,可以使公众明晰客观事实与法律事实的疏离与亲和,可以为公众行为提供合理的预期结果,这是司法判决塑造公众法治观念的四个内在机理。公众朦胧权利意识的觉醒、互联网时代下的司法红利、裁判文书的公开以及司法判决的科学性化倾向是司法判决塑造公众法治观念的四种外在驱动力。司法的良性发展,个案确认以及固化一般规则,发挥指导性案例的指导作用,导引网民以及媒体理性参与和践行案例法治文化实践是司法判决塑造公众法治观念的5种必经路径。     

构建我国夫妻法定分别财产制度研究

我国实行法定财产和约定财产双轨制,但在目前的法定夫妻财产制度下,不能实现婚内赔偿请求。夫妻法定分别财产制度在很多国家及我国台湾地区均有规定。最高人民法院《关于适用〈中华人民共和国婚姻法〉若干问题的解释(三)》第4条规定了在夫妻关系存续期间可以对共有财产进行分割,可以认为我国开始尝试建立夫妻法定分别财产制。构建法定分别财产制,应明确该制度的适用范围、适用程序,并细化其法律效力。     

法学本科专业实践教学模式的重构

法学本科教育应确立职业教育的教育目标,并要围绕职业教育目标充实法学本科教育内容,重视学生法律职业技能、法律职业思维的训练,培养学生良好法律职业道德和法治理想。实践教学是完成法学教育内容,达成法学教育目标不可或缺的教学方式,由于受传统法学教育观念的影响,实践教学未得到应有的重视,因而存在着诸多问题,因此建立与理论教学平行独立的实践教学体系、丰富实践教学内容、改革实践教学方式势在必行。     

浅论对侦查行为的法律监督

我国现行侦查程序缺乏有效的法律监督．检察院对侦查程序的提前介入没有立法上的保障,法院无权对侦查机关的行为进行审查和控制,犯罪嫌疑人无权与侦查机关进行平等的对话和抗争。因此,从基本理念和基本结构上对我国侦查程序进行反思,有必要限制侦查机关的权力,保护被追诉方的权利,并赋予法院对侦查行为的司法审查权。     

长江三角洲地区横向府际关系——从法律视角提出的要求

府际关系即政府之间的关系,包括中央政府与’地方政府之间、地方政府与地方政府之间的关系。我国的府际关系多靠政策调整,且随意性大。应当将府际关系纳入法律调整的范围,使其满足经济、社会发展的需求。本文选取长江三角洲地区作为研究对象,探讨了该地区当前府际关系的现状和存在的主要问题,试从法律的角度对横向府际间关系提出新的要求。     

论英美法与CISG中预期违约法律救济制度

预期违约制度是英美法系一项独创制度,英美法将预期违约分为明示毁约和默示毁约,并规定了相应的法律救济措施。《联合国国际货物销售合同公约》借鉴、吸纳了英美法的该项制度,但又有所发展,并将预期违约分为预期非根本违约和预期根本违约,其对预期违约法律救济措施的规定与英美法的规定各有优劣。     

著作权法公有领域的法律保护

公有领域是知识产权法上的十分重要的概念,在著作权法中尤其应该值得重视。一般认为,公有领域是社会的公共财富,社会成员皆可自由之利用。但这并不意味着著作权中公有领域是不受法律规制的法外领域。相反,它不仅受著作权法的调整,而且在某些特定条件下还可能受到相关的商标法、反不正当竞争法和物权法的调整和保护。