Category: hp
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Gay rights in Zimbabwe: perhaps not just yet
If you’re looking for an example of a country where gay rights are not exactly catching on, look no further than Zimbabwe. The BBC reports that Robert Mugabe, not exactly a darling of Western liberals to begin with, had this to say about the possibility of introducing gay rights into the new constitution under discussion:…
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Guest blogger Nardi: Courting Constitutional Chaos in the Philippines
Just six weeks before Filipinos go to the polls, a recent Supreme Court decision and a poorly timed birthday have caused yet another constitutional crisis. Under the 1987 Constitution, all Supreme Court justices must retire when they reach the age of 70.
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Kenya process keeps chugging along
The Kenyan drafting process continues to move forward, with the debate in parliament due to wrap up this week. The MPs, having received the latest draft from the Committee of Experts and the Parliamentary Select Commission, have apparently made some changes toward consolidation of local government, a major issue in the drafting debates.
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New President at the FCC & Some Thoughts on the Appointment Process
Last week, Hans-Jürgen Papier retired from his position as President of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) and chief judge of the First Senate upon expiration of his 12 year term on the court. His successor as President is the former Vice-President of the Court Andreas Voßkuhle (FCC press release in German here).
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Dueling Interpretations of American Law on the Canadian Supreme Court
Yesterday, the Canadian Supreme Court issued a 4-3 ruling in R. v. Morelli, a controversial case concerning whether a search warrant for a personal computer had been issued pursuant to defective information. The majority concluded that the authorities had obtained the search warrant on the basis of misleading, inaccurate, and incomplete information.
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Institutional dialogue and human rights in Victoria
For those interested in the evolution of Gardbaum’s ‘new Commonwealth model of constitutionalism’ and the potential for the design of a rights instrument to promote inter-institutional dialogue a recent decision of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of the Australian State of Victoria deserves attention: The Queen v Momcilovic [2010] VSCA 50 Victoria…
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More on Constitutional Concerns regarding EU Data Retention Directive
Readers will likely recall that the German Federal Constitutional Court earlier this month held unconstitutional a German law requiring the retention of certain telecommunication data (German decision here, German press reports in English here and here). The law that was invalidated transposed Directive 2006/24/EC, passed largely in response to the Madrid and London bombings, into…
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Prime Minister Berlusconi vs. The Constitutional Court
Italian Prime Minister Sylvio Berlusconi has won the latest round in his continuing battle versus the Constitutional Court. Although his recent victory is far from decisive in the larger view, the Prime Minister has scored a significant point that will give him a much needed reprieve.
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Kenya process: the next hurdle
Readers of this blog know that we have been following the Kenya constitution-making process with a close eye. This coming week, debate is to begin in the parliament over the revised draft produced by the Committee of Experts. That draft has been considered by the Parliamentary Select Committee for the past couple weeks.
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South Korean Constitutional Court (barely) upholds the death penalty
By a 5-4 vote, South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty, per this report in the Hankyoreh. Notably, two of the justices in the majority called for legislative modification or abolition of the death penalty. The Korean Bar Association’s statement in response to the ruling describes “the prestige of the…