28 November 2023
Prize and Premiership
Since the beginning of November, Italy has been discussing a constitutional reform that aims to radically change the Italian governmental system. The bill provides that the Prime Minister (more correctly: the President of the Council of Ministers) is elected by universal suffrage in a popular vote concurrent with the Chamber of Deputies and Senate elections. This move is often referred to in journalism as ‘Premiership’ (Premierato). n this post, I would like to focus less on the characteristics of the alleged ‘Premiership’ and more on the attempt to incorporate detailed electoral rules into the constitution. First, a brief history of the ‘majority prize’ will help the reader to better understand the context in which this reform was born. This will be followed by a critique of the proposal to enshrine the ‘majority prize’ in the constitution. I argue that, as currently drafted, the reform bill risks leading to an unconstitutional constitutional amendment. Continue reading >>
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27 November 2023
Sprachrohr für zwei Seiten
Der Trend geht zu parlamentarischen Polizeibeauftragten. Nachdem bereits acht Bundesländer derartige Stellen geschaffen haben, legen die Ampel-Fraktionen nun den Gesetzesentwurf für eine:n Polizeibeauftragte:n beim Deutschen Bundestag vor. Vor dem Hintergrund, dass Deutschland seit Jahrzehnten massive institutionelle Defizite bei der unabhängigen und menschenrechtskonformen Aufarbeitung von polizeilichem Fehlverhalten hat, ist die Initiative überfällig. In seiner derzeitigen Ausgestaltung wird der:die Polizeibeauftragte des Bundestags diese Erwartungen nur begrenzt erfüllen können. Continue reading >>
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Constitutionalizing the right to abortion is not political opportunism
Recently, Baptiste Charvin wrote on this blog that the right to abortion has become the subject of political instrumentalization in France. In his view, it illustrates a general phenomenon of 'constitutional desacralization' and underlines the division the French people are experiencing, 'despite being governed by a Constitution that enshrines a set of values that should be shared by all.' I argue that the French parliamentary debate on the right to abortion is anything but a phenomenon of recent political opportunism. Instead, it reflects – for once – a majority opinion, not the division of French society. Continue reading >>
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26 November 2023
Change for the Sake of Change
On 19 November 2023, Argentinian citizens voted in a run-off election between Sergio Massa, the current Minister of Economy, and Javier Milei, the libertarian candidate, to elect the president of the Republic for the next four years. With a difference of 11%, Milei, an anarcho-libertarian and anti-caste populist, won over the populist alternative of the Peronist apparatus. The result of the elections means that 40 years after the restoration of democracy, the extreme right has come back into power in Argentina. In this blog, we offer an explanation of Milei's electoral win and map how Argentina's constitutional institutions might help reign in some of his more radical proposals. Continue reading >>24 November 2023
Verfassungswidrige Sprachverbote
In Hessen haben sich CDU und SPD für ihre Koalitionsverhandlungen auf ein Eckpunktepapier geeinigt, in dem sie auch ankündigen festzuschreiben, „dass in staatlichen und öffentlich-rechtlichen Institutionen (wie Schulen, Universitäten, Rundfunk) auf das Gendern mit Sonderzeichen verzichtet wird und eine Orientierung am Rat der deutschen Sprache erfolgt“. Gemeint ist damit ein Verbot geschlechtergerechter Sprache nicht nur für Schulen, sondern auch für grundrechtsberechtigte (und ‑verpflichtete) Körperschaften und Anstalten des öffentlichen Rechts. Ein solches Verbot wäre offensichtlich verfassungswidrig – doch seine Ankündigung bringt politischen Profit. Continue reading >>23 November 2023
The Individual Application Mechanism is on the Verge of Collapse, and so is Turkish Constitutionalism
Turkey is plunged into yet another profound judicial crisis as the Turkish Constitutional Court (TCC) and the Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay) lock horns over the fate of an imprisoned opposition politician. While two earlier posts published on Verfassungsblog have already meticulously dissected this unfolding judicial drama (here and here), we aim to invigorate the debate with a fresh vantage point. In this piece, we will narrow the focus to one key actor: the TCC. More particularly, we will delve into the implications this evolving judicial crisis holds for the future of the TCC's individual application mechanism. Continue reading >>
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An Unholy Relic in the Greek Constitution? On the Peculiar Obsolescence of Article 3 para. 3
On a constant basis, church-state relations are a prominent topic in the Greek news. Currently, the new leader of the main opposition party repeatedly emphasizes that he strives to advance “church-state separation.” As far as the desiderata for constitutional reform are concerned, relevant discussions usually centre on Article 3 para. 1 of the Greek Constitution (cited as “Article 3,” but usually referring particularly to Article 3 para. 1), which defines the Orthodox Church as “the prevailing religion in Greece”. Often, yet to a lesser extent, debates focus on Article 16 para. 2, which lists “the development of [...] religious consciousness” as one of the goals of school education. Still rarer, the debates cite Article 105 dealing with the monastic communities of Mount Athos. Surprisingly, Article 3 para. 3 of the Greek Constitution is barely ever brought up in the debates. Yet, precisely this paragraph could – rather uncontroversially – be labelled as utterly peculiar and, above that, obsolete. Continue reading >>
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Systemwechsel im Wehrdienstrecht
Am 17. November 2023 hat der Bundestag ein Gesetz „zur Beschleunigung der Entfernung von verfassungsfeindlichen Soldatinnen und Soldaten aus der Bundeswehr“ beschlossen. Dieses Gesetz setzt zusammen mit dem gleichgelagerten Gesetzesbeschluss zur Beschleunigung von Disziplinarverfahren in der Bundesverwaltung das Koalitionsversprechen der Ampel um, Verfassungsfeinde schneller als bisher aus dem Öffentlichen Dienst und damit auch aus der Bundeswehr zu entlassen, nämlich durch Verwaltungsakt statt durch Disziplinarklage. Formal ist dieser Systemwechsel vom Richtervorbehalt zur Dienstherrenentlassung im Soldatenrecht verfassungsrechtlich unbedenklich. Continue reading >>
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Ein Zeugnis mit bitterer Note
Mit Urteil vom 22.11.2023 hat das Bundesverfassungsgericht entschieden: Vermerke im Abiturzeugnis darüber, dass die Rechtschreibleistungen von Schüler*innen aufgrund einer Legasthenie nicht bewertet wurden, sind weitestgehend zulässig. Die Entscheidung enthält eine Vielzahl beachtenswerter Aussagen über den Begriff der Behinderung, die Bedeutung der Schulbildung im Allgemeinen und der Rechtschreibung im Besonderen und Zeugnistransparenz als Mittel zur Durchsetzung von Chancengleichheit, die nicht alle im Folgenden vollständig beleuchtet werden können. Ich möchte aber aufzeigen, wo der vom Bundesverfassungsgericht entwickelte Maßstab für die „Zeugniswahrheit“ dem Interesse, Ungleichheiten auszugleichen, zuwider läuft. Continue reading >>22 November 2023
Deregulating Legal Gender in the Shadow of Social Ascription
On 23 August 2023, the German government published a bill on Gender Self-Determination (hereinafter also referred to as SBGG-E). The bill is currently under debate before the German parliament (Bundestag) and is subject to heated socio-political debate. Its primary objective consists of deregulating the conditions for altering and deleting the gender entry provided by the German Civil Status Act. Aside from a strong commitment to deregulating legal gender (Section 1 SBGG-E), the bill sets boundaries and conditions for gender recognition. While some appear self-explanatory, others are infused by what I will hereinafter refer to as the ‘logic of social ascription’. Continue reading >>21 November 2023
Limited Success
On 11.11 Australia and Tuvalu concluded a treaty on establishing the ‘Falepili Union,’ which deals with three pressing matters (art.1): climate change adaptation, collective security, and a new human mobility pathway. Hailed as ‘groundbreaking’, and ‘the most significant Pacific agreement in history,’ the Treaty certainly constitutes a profound step forward in building climate-resilient international relations, especially with its contributions to international migration law and international law on statehood. However, it also falls short in several instances, especially in fully respecting Tuvaluan equality in relation to Australia. Continue reading >>
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Why are illiberal monuments legally possible? Some insights from Bosnia and Herzegovina
After unveiling a monument to the genocide denier Peter Handke a few years ago, local authorities in Banja Luka – the largest city of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity – are now building a massive monument to the soldiers of the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) who died in the war of 1992–95. The memorial site in Banja Luka is not the first dedicated to the VRS. On the contrary, it follows the example of other towns and municipalities in the Serb-dominated areas. Together, they form an illiberal politics of remembrance developed by Bosnia, and especially Republika Srpska, since the end of the war in the 1990s. This memory politics is marked by the denial of war atrocities and the glorification of war criminals. The ongoing construction of the monument in Banja Luka shows that, almost thirty years after the conflict, there is a need to establish a new and comprehensive legal framework for memorialization in Bosnia. In essence, memorialization should be aligned with human rights and enable the development of a democratic culture. To achieve this twofold goal, constitutional and legislative reforms are needed. Continue reading >>
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20 November 2023
Supreme Judgecraft
In R (on the application of AAA (Syria) and others) the UK Supreme Court held that the Secretary of State’s policy to remove protection seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. Rwanda is not, at present, a safe third country. There are, the Supreme Court found, “substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk that asylum claims will not be determined properly, and that asylum seekers will in consequence be at risk of being returned directly or indirectly to their country of origin.” Should this occur “refugees will face a real risk of ill-treatment in circumstances where they should not have been returned at all.” We argue that the Supreme Court’s legal reasoning and evidential assessment are both impeccable, applying legal principles that are well-embedded in international and domestic law to very clear evidence. However, the UK government’s responses are deeply troubling, from the perspectives of refugee protection, international legality, and the rule of law in the UK. Continue reading >>
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19 November 2023
Undermining the Energy Transition
Australia is confronted with three multi-billion dollar investment treaty claims from a mining company. The basis for two of the claims is a judgment from the Queensland Land Court, in which the court recommended that no mining lease and environmental authority should be granted to a subsidiary of the claimant for its coal mine. The investment treaty arbitration serves as another illustration of how the international investment protection system poses a threat to an urgent and just energy transition. In this blog post, I explain the background of the investment treaty claim, the decision of the Queensland Land Court, and argue that the Court’s decision is an important precedent for the connection between coal, climate change, and human rights. Continue reading >>
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Magical Thinking and Obsessive Desires
Two days before the UK Supreme Court declared the government’s Rwanda policy unlawful, PM Rishi Sunak rid himself of his Home Secretary, Suella Braverman. The sacking, the ruling, and the aftermath demonstrate both a key division in the Conservative Party and illustrate the choice it faces on the kind of politics it will promote after the next election: socially liberal technocratic nationalism (the Sunak option) or illiberal ‘culture war’ nationalism (the Braverman faction). The Supreme Court’s judgment raises the stakes in this conflict because its grounds for ruling the Rwanda Plan unlawful appear to provide ammunition for the radical illiberal wing of the Conservative Party. Continue reading >>
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17 November 2023
Defeat in the Supreme Court
On 15 November 2023, the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) unanimously declared the government’s policy of removing some asylum seekers to Rwanda to process their claims unlawful. Like the Court of Appeal, it found substantial grounds for believing that asylum seekers would face a real risk of ill-treatment because of insufficient guarantees against refoulement. This post explores the origin and significance of the UKSC judgment and the legal and policy implications of the UK government’s immediate response to it. Continue reading >>
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Der alte Wunsch nach einfachen Lösungen
Die Unionsfraktion des Bundestages hat am 7. November ein Positionspapier mit dem Titel „Menschenunwürdige Zustände in der Prostitution beenden – Sexkauf bestrafen“ verabschiedet, in welchem sie vorschlägt, in Deutschland das sog. Nordische Modell einzuführen und den Kauf sexueller Dienstleistungen prinzipiell zu kriminalisieren. Derartige politische Forderungen häufen sich auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene. Doch die von der Union behaupteten Zahlen zu Umfang und Struktur der Prostitution in Deutschland sind spekulativ und die Forderungen hypokritisch. Sie blenden relevante Facetten und Akteure aus und ignorieren verfassungsrechtliche wie dogmatische Probleme. Continue reading >>16 November 2023