Category: hp
-
Is the Japanese Supreme Court spreading its wings?
Last week, the Japanese Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for a municipal government to offer city-owned land without charge for the site of a Shinto shrine. The ruling by the top court’s Grand Bench upheld the contention of the plaintiffs that the municipal government of Sunagawa, Hokkaido had violated the constitutional requirement of…
-
Constitutional Overhaul in Mexico?
In 2010, most Latin American countries celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the start of their wars of independence from Spain. Mexico, in addition, celebrates the centennial anniversary of its social revolution. In part because “we cannot afford to waste this year’s symbolic political energy” (words of the Secretary of the Interior), and in part to…
-
Recent Scholarship on Comparative Constitutional Law
Four recent papers, each one excellent, merit the attention of readers with an interest in comparative constitutional law. The first, Studying Japanese Law Because It’s There, is an essay by Tom Ginsburg, my colleague here at the Comparative Constitutions Blog. Recently published in the American Journal of Comparative Law, this very important paper states in…
-
Top ten constitutional events in China
Here’s an interesting one. China’s Prosecutorial Daily has produced a list of the “top ten constitutional events” in 2009. Donald Clarke has kindly translated the list here. It’s a remarkable document in its conception of what counts as constitutional: many of the incidents involve abuse of power by lower level officials.
-
Will the head of state in Canada please stand up?
Several years after you read Peter Russell’s excellent book on the evolution of the Canadian constitution (now in its 3rd edition), you will be forgiven for forgetting the details of the many twists and turns of Canada’s constitutional odyssey. You will likely remember, however, Russell’s anecdote in the preface in which he describes the motivation…
-
Angola constitution coming soon
Press reports indicate that Angola’s parliament will adopt a new constitution in the new week, extending the rule of President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, who has served since 1979. The constitution will replace the formally semi-presidential structure with a pure presidential system, replacing the prime minister with a vice president.
-
“Allah” and “God” in Malaysia
On New Year’s eve, the Malaysian High Court reportedly ruled that the Catholic Church may lawfully use the term “Allah” to refer to “God.” The judgment is not yet available on the High Court’s website but useful reports are available at the Jurist, on the BBC, and in Time Magazine.
-
Kenya process continues
The constitution-making process in Kenya continues apace. The Committee of Experts has now submitted a revised harmonized draft to the parliament, which will then submit the document to a referendum. The revised draft retains the semi-presidential structure of the first draft, which has a directly-elected president and a prime minister.
-
Popular Consultation in Sudan
Tom, you’re right to highlight Sudan as a possible “hot spot” for constitutional reform in 2010 (and beyond), but not necessarily in the context of “crisis.” This isn’t to say some sort of crisis is out of the question (or even unlikely), but it is not the only scenario in which meaningful constitutional reform might…
-
Japanese “constitutional” change
The Democratic Party of Japan continues its efforts to transform Japanese political practice toward greater congruence with formal demands of the Constitution. Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa is plotting strategy for a major reform bill, described here, that would reduce the power of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau to appear in the Diet.