In a historically unprecedented step, German President Horst Köhler resigned today. The apparent cause for his resignation is criticism over statements he made in connection with German military involvement in Afghanistan. Pursuant to Article 57 of the Basic Law, the president of the state chamber (Bundesrat) will take over his duties.
Dominic Nardi on Pakistan’s Judiciary: Suo Moto Tango
The Indian Supreme Court has become prominent (or notorious) amongst comparative constitutional law scholars for its judicial activism. However, if anything, the Pakistani judiciary has gone even further in finding creative ways to support public interest litigation (PIL). Under Article 184(3) of the 1973 Constitution, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over petitions to enforce
Greece, the Euro, and the FCC
The German Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has denied an application for a temporary injunction to stop Germany’s contribution to the aid package for Greece (German decision here, English press release here). The challenged law authorized the federal government to guarantee loans up to 22.4 billion euros. Another constitutional challenge is in the works, as reported
2010 Annual Meeting of the Law & Society Association
The Comparative Constitutions Blog will be well represented this week at the Law and Society Association‘s Annual Meeting, held in Chicago’s Renaissance Hotel. Here is a quick reference guide for those attending what promises to be fascinating conference: Tom Ginsburg Chair/DiscussantSession: Constitutional Law and Judicial Review in AsiaFriday, May 28, 10:15am-12:00pm Author: How Do International
Wiki-constitutionalism?
The New Republic has just posted a nice essay by Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez about what he calls wiki-constitutionalism in Latin America: the tendency of constitutions in the region to be changed as easily as wikipedia pages. Lansberg-Rodriguez points out the costs of rewriting, and argues persuasively that institutional stability will require overcoming wiki-constitutionalism. He also ties
Kagan Confirmation Controversy?
The U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process has become increasingly polarized. While the system in other countries is not free of problems, things in the U.S. reached a new low lately when several prominent news commentators essentially called on Court nominee Elena Kagan to address whether she is gay or not (Maureen Dowd in the New
US Supreme Court debate to heat up again
With the decision in Graham v. Florida, we are likely to see a renewal of the debate over whether and how to use foreign caselaw in interpreting the U.S. Constitution. As in his earlier decision in Roper v. Simmons, 543 U. S. 551 (2005), Justice Anthony Kennedy again utilized foreign sources to interpret the cruel
New Socio-Economic Rights Book
An important new book on socio-economic rights has just been published. The book is called “Socio-Economic Rights –Adjudication Under a Transformative Constitution.” It’s published by JUTA press. The author is Sandra Liebenberg, the Harry F. Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law at the University of Stellenbosch Law School in South Africa. Professor Liebenberg was involved
Rights at Work?
For those of us who grew up in times and places where “socialist” was not considered an insulting adjective, May Day still means something. And notably more so if a person happens to live in one of the 170 countries or so where the regulation of working conditions, hours, wages, etc. is loose at best.
