–Neslihan Çetin, PhD in Public Law
In this weekly feature, I-CONnect publishes a curated reading list of developments in 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 public law blogosphere.
To submit relevant developments for our weekly feature on “What’s New in Public Law,” please email iconnecteditors@gmail.com.
Developments in Constitutional Courts
- The Constitutional Court (AYM) of Turkey ruled that the 11-day solitary confinement sentence given to Nihat Ekmez, a prisoner at Izmir No. 2 T Type Closed Penal Institution, for making a victory sign during a monthly open visitation was disproportionate and violated his freedom of expression.
- Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled that key parts of contested parliament reforms pushed through by opposition parties are unconstitutional, dealing a blow to the opposition which had said it was trying to bring greater accountability.
- The Supreme Court allowed an independent authority to enforce a federal anti-doping law for the horse racing industry that was enacted in the wake of a series of thoroughbred fatalities, touching on a more sweeping separation-of-powers fight galloping toward the justices in coming weeks.
- Kenya’s Supreme Court overturned an appeals court decision that had nullified the 2023 finance law, a victory for President William Ruto’s administration.
- Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled that law enforcement authorities are no longer bound by statutes of limitations when seeking state seizure of assets in anti-corruption cases.
- Moldova’s pro-Western president hailed a “historic step” after a top court recognized the results of a pivotal October 20 referendum, paving the way for the country to enshrine in its constitution its wish to join the EU.
- Critics are accusing Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema of interference after he fired three constitutional court judges on Sunday over a 2016 ruling that favored a political opponent.
In the News
- Pennsylvania Democrats believe their path to expanding power in the state Legislature runs through the suburbs — and they’re hammering the importance of protecting reproductive rights to pull it off.
- The second round of the Moldovan presidential election will take place on November 3. The candidates will be Maia Sandu from the ruling PAS party and Alexandr Stoianoglo from the Socialists.
- Mexico’s Senate voted to block courts from challenging or halting constitutional amendments approved by Congress.
- A joint statement from EU Ministers was condemning the Georgian election for violations of policies.
- Botswana’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has conceded defeat after preliminary results showed his party had lost its parliamentary majority in the election, ending nearly six decades in power.
New Scholarship
- Franciska Coleman, Defining Law but Not Justice (This article presents a dialogue that explores tensions in contemporary legal education around diversity, justice, and pedagogy.)
- Stephen Gardbaum, The Case for Plural Executives in the Age of Strongmen (The Article assesses the respective merits of the variety of plural executives. The argument focuses not only on the more negative issue of how, and the extent to which, different types of plural executive address the Hamiltonian concerns of ineffectiveness and unaccountability, but also on the more positive dimension of how they may contribute to democratic stability and representation.)
- Daniel B. Rodriguez, Good Governing: The Police Power in the American States (The book reveals how American police power was intended to be a broad, but not unlimited, charter of regulatory governance, designed to implement key constitutional objectives and advance the general welfare.)
- Cara Röhner, Constitutions and Inequality: A Relational Analysis of Law (Building on economic and feminist critiques of legal individualism, this book develops a relational analysis of constitutional law in the context of real-world social inequality.)
- Guillaume Tusseau, Research Handbook on Law and Utilitarianism (The Research Handbook on Law and Utilitarianism sheds light on contemporary legal culture, and the ways in which it interacts with theories of justice.)
Calls for Papers and Announcements
- Seminar on “Constitutional Identity” to be held on 29 November 2024 at Tilburg Law School. The full announcement, program, and registration details can be found here.
- Call For Submissions – European Law Blogger Prize 2024: The Editorial Board of the European Law Blog is pleased to announce its first European Law Blogger Prize to celebrate the launch of its new website at the beginning of September 2024. The €300 prize will be awarded to the early-career author of the best blog post submitted between 1 September and 1 December 2024. [Deadline: 1 December 2024]
- How to Challenge Insufficient EU Climate Action Before the European Court of Justice? Joint Creative Thinking on Overcoming the Well-known Obstacles: This workshop in Amsterdam brings together academics and practitioners to identify and creatively think about legal opportunity structures in EU law to challenge insufficient EU climate action before the EU courts. [13 December 2024]
- CFP – ERDAL: “Towards ‘oversight by design’? Legal foundations for effective oversight in automated public administration”: The open access journal “ERDAL”, European Review of Digital Administration & Law, is pleased to announce its upcoming special issue on the topic of oversight of automated public administration. [Deadline: 15 July 2025]
- 2026 World Congress of Constitutional Law – Sustainable Constitutionalism: Answers for a Changing World: The 2026 World Congress of Constitutional Law will be hosted by the Universidad Externado de Colombia from 6-10 July 2026.
Elsewhere Online
- Elisabeth Alber, Symposium Introduction: Federal Coalitions and Subnational Democracy (31 October)
- Francesco Biagi, Constitutional Repair in Poland: The Venice Commission’s Opinion on the Draft Law Amending the Law on the National Council of the Judiciary (31 October)
- Ahmed Elbasyouny, The US Senate Judiciary on The President’s License to Kill (31 October)
- Sofia Vandenbosch, The Political Question Doctrine Under Close Control (30 October)
- David M. Crane, The Erosion of Respect for the Rule of Law in America (29 October)
Comments