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. Libya’s Supreme Constitutional Court rejects PM Ahmed Maiteg’s appointment.
2. The Czech Supreme Administrative Court rules that the Czech police can operate a DNA database that can help reveal perpetrators of crimes among repeat criminals.
3. Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court unanimously rejects appeal to lift Central Bank secrecy.
4. The Russian Constitutional Court refuses to hear St. Petersburg protest ban complaint.
5. Italy’s Constitutional Court confirms marriage valid after husband changes sex.
6. Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court scraps law against press.

In the News

1. Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sissi sworn in as president before the Supreme Constitutional Court.
2. Slovenian Constitutional Court supports general elections on July 13.
3. Lawsuit challenges North Dakota gay marriage ban.
4. Religious groups urge Congress to move on voting rights bill.
5. State courts in Pennsylvania caution against email hoax.

New Scholarship

1. Glenn Harlan Reynolds, The Second Amendment as Ordinary Constitutional Law, 81 Tennessee Law Review 409 (2014) (explores how the Second Amendment turned from being a mere scholarly and political debate with no real judicial role, to a clearly established individual right)
2. Andrew James Green, Can There Be Too Much Context in Administrative Law? Setting the Standard of Review in Canadian Administrative Law, 47(2) UBC Law Review (Forthcoming) (examines the shift of the Canadian Supreme Court from a formal and a contextual approach to a categorical approach in exercising the power of judicial review)
3. Larry Catá Backer, The Crisis of Secular Liberalism and the Constitutional State in Comparative Perspective: Religion, Rule of Law, and Democratic Organization of Religion Privileging States, 48 Cornell International Law Journal (forthcoming 2015) (examines the return of the issue of “religion” into political life and constitutionalism from a comparative perspective and its implications on the fundamental ordering premises of liberal societies, rule of law, direct democracy, popular sovereignty, the protection of foreigners and the approaches to the interpretation of constitutional text)
4. Thomas Weigend & Jenia Iontcheva Turner, The Constitutionality of Negotiated Criminal Judgments in Germany, German L. J. (Forthcoming, 2014) (examines the 2013 German Constitutional Court’s decision regarding upholding the constitutionality of the 2009 German law authorizing the negotiation of criminal judgments between the court and the parties)
5. Transformative Constitutionalism: Comparing the Apex Courts of Brazil, India and South Africa, (The Pretoria University Law Press (Pulp), South Africa) (Provides a critical analysis to the constitutions of BISA countries as well as the role of highest courts in Brazil, India, and South Africa regarding guarding constitutional rights)

Call for Papers

1. The Indian Umeed Initiative’s Journal on Law and Policy issued a call for papers for its new volume.
2. The American Society of International Law calls for submissions of scholarly paper proposals for the ASIL Research Forum to be held during the Society’s mid-year meeting in Chicago, November 6-8, 2014.
3. Melbourne Journal of International Law invites submissions.
4. The International Journal of Law and Legal Jurisprudence Studies welcomes submissions.
5. The Investment Treaty Forum at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law is seeking applications for two internships beginning in September 2014 and lasting for three months.

Elsewhere on Blogs

1. Adithya Reddy, Should our Political Parties get Big Money in Big Sums?, Law and Other Things
2. David Mead, The Future of the HRA Under Labour, UK Constitutional Law Blog
3. Rick Hasen, Attorney General Holder Suggests New Proposal to Boost Voting Access for American Indians and Alaska Natives, Election Law Blog
4. Andrew Spiropoulos, Strategies Leading Up to the Botched Execution of an Oklahoma Death Row Inmate, The Jurist
5. Andrew Marra, Will Florida’s same-sex marriage ban be ruled unconstitutional?, The Palm Beach Post
6. Scott Mayer, Housing Obama’s Flood of Illegal Immigrant Children, American Thinker
7. Jim Galloway, A Southern rift revealed by House leadership scramble, Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog