What’s New in Comparative Public Law

–Mohamed Abdelaal, Alexandria University (Egypt)

In this weekly feature, I-CONnect publishes a curated reading list of developments in comparative public law. “Developments” may include a selection of links to news, high court decisions, new or recent scholarly books and articles, and blog posts from around the comparative public law blogosphere.

To submit relevant developments for our weekly feature on “What’s New in Comparative Public Law,” please email contact.iconnect@gmail.com.

Developments in Constitutional Courts

1. Russian Constitutional Court approves early voting right.
2. The US Supreme Court upholds prayer at government meetings.
3. Turkey’s Constitutional Court partly annuls contentious judiciary law.
4. Ankara’s Fourth Administrative Court orders lifting of YouTube ban.
5. Italy Constitutional Court overturns assisted reproduction restrictions.

In the News

1. The International Association of Constitutional Law and the Department of Public and International Law at the University of Oslo invite scholars to participate in the IXth World Congress on Constitutional Law, to be held in Oslo on June 16-20, 2014. The subject is “Constitutional Challenges: Global and Local.”
2. Japan Split over revision to Pacifist Constitution.
3. Turkey’s Erdogan targets Twitter taxes, blasts constitutional court.
4. Thailand PM Yingluck Shinawatra has been dismissed from office after a conviction of abusing power in the Constitutional Court.
5. French President François Hollande to consider Constitutional Council’s decision in bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial.
6. Syrian Supreme Constitutional Court accepts three presidential candidates.
7. Constitutional text to protect Yemeni women’s rights.
8. Indiana to host meeting for planning Constitutional Convention.

New Scholarship

1. Thad C. Eagles, Free Exercise, Inc.: A New Framework for Adjudicating Corporate Religious Liberty Claims, New York University Law Review (forthcoming) (provides the relevant background information to understand the contraception mandate question, evaluates the recent opinions in the contraception mandate cases, and puts forward a framework for considering which corporations should be able to bring religious liberty rights.)
2. Joseph Fishkin & William E. Forbath, The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution, 94 Boston University Law Review (2014) (discusses the constitutional social and economic norms from the perspective of anti-oligarchy as a constitutional principle, the distinctive political economy of the Jacksonian Democrats and their vision of equal protection, Populist constitutionalism, the Progressives, and the New Deal.)
3. Emily S. Bremer, The Unwritten Administrative Constitution, Florida Law Review (forthcoming) (argues that administrative law provides an unwritten constitution governing federal administrative agencies and that rules found in the administrative are of constitutional functions not mentioned or applicable in the written Constitution.)
4. Derek T. Muller, The Play in the Joints of the Election Clauses, Election Law Journal (forthcoming) (introduces the issue of defining the boundary between the federal government and the state governments regarding  election administration and examines risk of overlapping roles in the Election Clauses among legislatures and executive officials.)
5. Russell M. Gold, Beyond the Judicial Fourth Amendment: The Prosecutor’s Role, UC Davis Law Review (forthcoming) (argues that prosecutors are have a constitutional and ethical responsibility to honor and enforce the Fourth Amendment.)

Calls for Papers

1. The University College Dublin Constitutional Studies Group, in association with the Young Comparativists Committee of the American Society of Comparative Law, invite submissions for a workshop on “After the Economic Crisis: The Small State as Problem or Solution?” to be held in Dublin on September 5-6, 2014. A number of bursaries are available to cover travel and accommodation expenses associated with participating in this event. A selection of the best papers presented will be considered by the Boston College International & Comparative Law Review for publication as a special symposium edition in Spring 2015. Abstracts or proposals for panels must be submitted to constitutional@ucd.ie by Monday, May 26, 2014.
2. University of Illinois Law Review issued a call for symposia.
3. The Indian Journal of Legal Philosphy (IJLP) invites submissions for its new issue.
4. International Journal of Law and Policy Review welcomes submissions for the July, 2014 issue.
5. The International Journal of Law and Legal Jurisprudence Studies seeks submissions for its new issue (Issue 3, Vol.1).
6. LUISS School of Government opens applications for the 3^rd edition of its Summer School Program on Parliamentary Democracy in Europe to be held at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome (July 14-25, 2014.) The program theme will be devoted to the Europeanisation of National Parliaments.
7. The American Association of Private International Law (ASADIP) announces the 2014 call for papers for its Cuadernos ASADIP- Jóvenes Investigadores (Cuadernos ASADIP – Young Researchers).

Elsewhere on Blogs

1. Eric Posner, The U.S. Constitution Is Impossible to Amend, Slate.
2. Brian O’Neill, Extremism, not gay marriage, will kill the Constitution, The News Tribune.
3. Jacob Gershman, Courts, Lawmakers Curb Police Access to Prescription-Drug Databases, The Wall Street Journal Law Blog.
4. Ruthann Robson, New Hampshire Supreme Court: Vanity License Plate “Not Offensive to Good Taste” Requirement Violates First Amendment, Constitutional Law Prof Blog.
5. Lyle Denniston, Constitution Check: Is the Supreme Court putting new emphasis on majority rights?, Constitution Daily Blog.
6. Vasujith Ram, Elections and Sting Operations: Supreme Court Rules, Indian Election Law Blog.