Category: hp
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Georgian President seeks new draft
Georgian President Saakashvili on Wednesday submitted to parliament a draft of a new constitution that would limit the power of the presidency. The opposition has opposed the move, and some speculate that Saakashvili is “pulling a Putin”: empowering a prime ministership for himself to occupy once his term ends.
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“… far more onerous than the restrictions found in this Nation.”
In McDonald v. Chicago, Justice Stevens stated in dissent that “the experience of other advanced democracies . . . undercuts the notion that an expansive right to keep and bear arms is intrinsic to ordered liberty. Many of these countries place restrictions on the possession, use, and carriage of firearms far more onerous than the…
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Veiled Equality and Secularism.
The New York Times recently described the newest developments in France to enact a prohibition on the wearing of the face veil. Some of the opposition of course came from religious groups. Meanwhile, as Miguel Schor has pointed out in a recent blog posting here, Argentina has essentially allowed same-sex marriage.
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Political Parties and Comparative Constitutional Law
Another thought inspired by reading the Constitution of Morocco: Bruce Ackerman and others have written in the American context of how our Constitution says nothing about political parties, and the problems that has caused. Even given this, though, reading other constitutions is always enlightening because of the substantial attention it shines on just how much…
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Televising Supreme Court nomination hearings
Elena Kagan’s nomination hearings have concluded and a vote in the Senate will occur shortly. Although the televised hearings were not the stuff of compelling political theater, they are somewhat exceptional. Polities around the globe have fashioned national high courts and written constitutions but public hearings over nominations are rare.
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Serving up Constitutional Kaldreta in the Philippines
So you are the President. For five or eight or twelve years now thing have been humming along nicely and the people love/fear you (circle one). Then you see it. Tiny at first but becoming steadily larger – like an iceberg looming over your prow… term limits.
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Summer Travel and Comparative Constitutional Law
When they travel on vacation during the summer, people bring all sorts of things with them—-usually interesting things. They might pack a novel they have long wanted to read. Perhaps, as one of my friends now does, they bring materials with them to help them write a screenplay they have long wanted to compose.
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Extraterritorial application of European human rights law to military action
The United Kingdom’s new Supreme Court has just rejected a claim by the mother of a deceased military serviceman that her son’s death while on duty in Iraq, pursuant to alleged negligence on the part of his superiors, violated the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
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German Right to Die Case and Supreme Court Confirmation
As has been reported in the press, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany recently issued a ruling making it easier for relatives and others to allow loved ones to die in certain situations. Given the power of the right to dignity and the right to life under the Basic Law, this is significant both there…
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and Kyrgyz Republic passes the Constitution
Vote-counting is well under way in Kyrgyzstan. With 90% of precints counted, news reports indicate over 90% support for the new Constitution. No doubt this will be seen as a vote of confidence in the interim Otunbayeva government. Russia’s President Medvedev expressed skepticism about the ability of the parliamentary system to resolve Krgyzstan’s difficulties, including…