MVV2868K Comparative Constitutional Adjudication: Politics and Institutional Design

Faculty of Law
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
prof. JUDr. David Kosař, Ph.D., LL.M., J. S. D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. JUDr. David Kosař, Ph.D., LL.M., J. S. D.
Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Andrea Špačková, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science – Faculty of Law
Timetable
Mon 24. 2. to Fri 23. 5. each odd Wednesday 16:40–18:10 316
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
MVV2868K/01: Mon 3. 3. to Fri 23. 5. each even Wednesday 16:40–18:10 316, D. Kosař
MVV2868K/02: No timetable has been entered into IS. D. Kosař
Prerequisites (in Czech)
SOUHLAS
Předmět je určen primárně pro studenty 3., 4. a 5. ročníku právnické fakulty, vhodné je předchozí absolvování předmětů Ústavní právo a Lidská práva a soudnictví. Nezbytným požadavkem je pasivní znalost angličtiny, předmět je založen na studiu literatury a judikatury, jež jsou až na výjimky přístupné pouze v angličtině. Předmět je rovněž vhodný pro studenty Fakulty sociálních studií (zejména z oboru politologie, sociologie a mezinárodních vztahů) či Filozofické fakulty. Předmět i závěrečné hodnocení jsou koncipovány tak, aby nebyli zvýhodněni ani právníci ani neprávníci.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • Law (programme PrF, M-PPV)
Course objectives
The course consists of two parts. The first part (classes 1-5) focuses on „ideal types“ of constitutional courts (Italy, Germany, France, United States). In this part we will identify the issue of standing before constitutional courts and explain the difference between Kelsenian and diffuse model of constitutional adjudication. In each class, we will also zero in on the impact of these courts on the political system in the given country. In the second part of the course (classes 6-11) we will first discuss the leading theories of creation of constitutional courts (Hirschl, Ginsburg, Erdos, Gardbaum) and then we will test these theories on more recent models of constitutional adjudication in South Africa, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, UK, Australia and Turkey}. In the final class we will revisit the old question of the legitimacy of non elected and non accountable constitutional courts in democratic societies.
Syllabus
  • Constitutional democracy is nowadays the dominant form of representative government in the world. Of this regime there is no comprehensive political theory. Next to political branches, elected and accountable to the voters through competitive elections, this form of government encompasses judicial organs exercising normative power through constitutional adjudication. This aspect of the judicial review will be analyzed considering the functions of Constitutional/Supreme courts in the world (focusing mainly on the countries that have, outside the US, the longest experience). Using an ideal typical taxonomy based on mechanisms of referral we will distinguish different effects of Courts’ decisions on the working of the political and constitutional system. Some attention will be devoted at the historical origin of constitutional adjudication. Next to the main descriptive dimension of the seminar we will discuss the old question of the legitimacy of non elected and non accountable (to the voters) organs in democratic societies. The institution that we will spend the most time studying is the Constitutional Court, which was invented in Austria following World War I, as a part of the new Austrian constitutional government. It was then “reinvented” following the second world war in Germany and Italy and has been copied widely. But there are also other traditions of constitutional adjudication which locate the power to conduct constitutional review in a Supreme Court (which has also other judicial functions) as is done in the United States and Canada. Indeed there are much older traditions of constitutional adjudication that can be traced far back in history.
Literature
    required literature
  • FERRERES COMELLA, Víctor. Constitutional courts and democratic values : a European perspective. London: Yale University Press, 2009, xvi, 238. ISBN 9780300148671. info
  • HIRSCHL, Ran. Towards juristocracy : the origins and consequences of the new constitutionalism. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004, 286 p. ISBN 0674025474. info
  • GINSBURG, Tom. Judicial review in new democracies : constitutional courts in Asian cases. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003, xi, 295. ISBN 0521520398. URL info
Teaching methods
lectures, seminars, reaction papers, oral presentations, final essay
Assessment methods
50% final essay 25% reaction paper & its oral presentation 25% class participation
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2014, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/spring2014/MVV2868K