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. The Supreme Court of Uganda banned the practice of refunding the bride price when the marriage ends in divorce.
2. In Ukraine, fur Justices of the Constitutional Court issued separate opinions on the amendments to the Constitution regarding decentralization.
3. The French Constitutional Council rejected symbolic criminal measures.
4. A federal judge in New York ruled that the state’s banking law is unconstitutional.
5. The Connecticut Supreme Court found the state’s death penalty unconstitutional.
6. The Massachusetts Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of anti-human trafficking law.

In the News

1. The Iraqi Parliament approved the Government’s Reform Plan.
2. The Thai Parliament issued a controversial law that curbs public assembly.
3. In Uganda, the Parliament approved the Constitution amendment bill.
4. The Somali Parliament passed an impeachment resolution against the President.
5. In California, a legislative bill was signed into law prohibiting grand juries from ruling on police brutality cases.

New Scholarship

1. Nicholas W. Barber, Why Entrench?, 14 Int’l J of Const Law (forthcoming 2016) (discussing different forms and purposes of entrenchment clauses)
2. Barry R. Weingast, Capitalism, Democracy, and Countermajoritarian Institutions, (discussing constitutionalism, countermajoritarianism, and stability as conflicting values of democracy)
3. Paul J. Larkin Jr., The Lost Due Process Doctrines, Working Paper (examining procedural requirements and substantive limitations of the Due Process Clause, and the significance of the Magna Carta on the Clause.)
4. Rivka Weill, Juxtaposing Israel and Canada: On the Interplay between Commonlaw Override and Sunset Override, Working Paper (exploring the role of the override power in the Israel’s constitution-making process.)
5. Clark B. Lombardi, Constitutions of Arab Countries in Transition: Constitutional Review and Separation of Powers, IE Med Mediterranean Yearbook (Barcelona: European Institute of the Mediterranean, 2014) (examining the role of constitutional courts in the Arab Mediterranean in boosting principles of democracy and judicial review after the Arab Spring.)
6. Malcolm Langford, Why Judicial Review?, 2(1) Oslo L. Rev. (2015) (examining the comparative advantage of judicial interpretation and the functionalist reasons of judicial review.)

Call for Papers

1. The Revista Tribuna Internacional law journal invites submission for Volume 4, Issue 8 (December 2015).
2. Kabarak University School of Law, Boston College Law School and the International Society of Public Law invite submissions for a two-day Symposium on Constitutional Change and Transformation in Africa, to be held on the campus of Kabarak University in Nakuru on June 9-10, 2016.
3. A call for papers has been issued for a conference on Constitutional History: Comparative Perspectives, to be held in the University of Illinois College of Law on April 12-13, 2016.
4. The New Zealand Centre for Public Law at Victoria University of Wellington, Faculty Law, Boston College Law School, and The International Society of Public Law (ICON·S) welcome submissions for a symposium on quasi-constitutionality and constitutional statutes, to be held in Victoria University of Wellington, Faculty of Law (Old Government Buildings) on Thursday & Friday, May 19-20, 2016. Abstracts are due by Oct. 1, 2015.
5. The Indian Journal of Law and Public Policy invites articles, short articles, and case commentaries for Volume 2, Issue 1.

Elsewhere on the Internet

1. Shawn Marie Boyne, German Prisons and Human Dignity, Comparative Law Blog
2. Nancy Marcus, “Religious Freedom” as a Shield and a Sword: Tensions Between Conflicting Rights, Jurist
3. Gerard Magliocca, Griswold and Abortion, Concurring Opinion
4. Diego Antonino Cimino, Italy towards institutional re-design: a constitutional and political marathon, ConstitutionNet
5. Ben DiPietro, Employee Overtime Cases Could Wind Up Before Supreme Court, WSJ Law Blog