The use of foreign precedents by constitutional judges

471 Pages·2013·7.486 MB·English

by  Ponthoreau, Marie-Claire;Groppi, Tania

THE USE OF FOREIGN PRECEDENTS BY
CONSTITUTIONAL JUDGES
In 2007 the International Association of Constitutional Law established an Interest
Group on the Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges to conduct a sur-
vey of the use of foreign precedents by Supreme and Constitutional Courts in decid-
ing constitutional cases. Its purpose was to determine—through empirical analysis
employing both quantitative and qualitative indicators—the extent to which foreign
case law is cited. The survey aimed to test the reliability of studies describing and
reporting instances of ‘transjudicial communication’ between Courts. The research
also provides useful insights into the extent to which a progressive constitutional
convergence may be taking place between common law and civil law traditions. The
present work includes studies by scholars from African, American, Asian, European,
Latin American and Oceania countries, representing jurisdictions belonging to both
common law and civil law traditions, and countries employing both centralised
and decentralised systems of judicial review. The results, published here for the first
time, give us the best evidence yet of the existence and limits of a transnational
constitutional communication between courts.
Volume 1 in the series Hart Studies in Comparative Public Law

The Use of Foreign
Precedents by
Constitutional Judges
Edited by
Tania Groppi
and
Marie-Claire Ponthoreau
OXFORD AND PORTLAND, OREGON
2013
Published in the United Kingdom by Hart Publishing Ltd
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Contents
Table of Cases ......................................................................................................vii
Table of Legislation ...........................................................................................xxv
Introduction. The Methodology of the Research: How to Assess the
Reality of Transjudicial Communication? ..............................................................1
Tania Groppi and Marie-Claire Ponthoreau
Part I ....................................................................................................................11
1. Reference to Foreign Precedents by the Australian High Court:
A Matter of Method .......................................................................................13
Cheryl Saunders and Adrienne Stone
2. Canada: Protecting Rights in a ‘Worldwide Rights Culture’.
An Empirical Study of the Use of Foreign Precedents by the
Supreme Court of Canada (1982–2010) .........................................................39
Gianluca Gentili
3. India: A ‘Critical’ Use of Foreign Precedents in Constitutional
Adjudication ....................................................................................................69
Valentina Rita Scotti
4. The Supreme Court of Ireland and the Use of Foreign Precedents:
The Value of Constitutional History ...............................................................97
Cristina Fasone
5. Israel: Creating a Constitution—The Use of Foreign Precedents
by the Supreme Court (1994–2010) ..............................................................129
Suzie Navot
6. Namibia: The Supreme Court as a Foreign Law Importer ............................155
Irene Spigno
7. South Africa: Teaching an ‘Old Dog’ New Tricks? An Empirical Study
of the Use of Foreign Precedents by the South African Constitutional
Court (1995–2010) .......................................................................................185
Christa Rautenbach
Part II .................................................................................................................211
8. Austria: Non-cosmopolitan, but Europe-friendly—The Constitutional
Court’s Comparative Approach .....................................................................213
Anna Gamper
vi Contents
9. Lifting the Constitutional Curtain? The Use of Foreign Precedent
by the German Federal Constitutional Court ..............................................229
Stefan Martini
10. H ungary: Unsystematic and Incoherent Borrowing of Law. The Use of
Foreign Judicial Precedents in the Jurisprudence of the Constitutional
Court, 1999–2010 .......................................................................................253
Zoltán Szente
11. A Gap between the Apparent and Hidden Attitudes of the
Supreme Court of Japan towards Foreign Precedents ..................................273
Akiko Ejima
12. Mexico: Struggling for an Open View In Constitutional Adjudication ........301
Eduardo Ferrer Mac-Gregor and Rubén Sánchez Gil
13. Romania: Analogical Reasoning as a Dialectical Instrument .......................321
Elena Simina Tanasescu and Stefan Deaconu
14. Russia: Foreign Transplants in the Russian Constitution
and Invisible Foreign Precedents in Decisions of the Russian
Constitutional Court ...................................................................................347
Sergey Belov
15. Judges as Discursive Agent: The Use of Foreign Precedents by the
Constitutional Court of Taiwan ..................................................................373
Wen-Chen Chang and Jiunn-Rong Yeh
16. United States of America: First Cautious Attempts of Judicial
Use of Foreign Precedents in the Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence ................393
Angioletta Sperti
Conclusion. The Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges:
A Limited Practice, An Uncertain Future ...........................................................411
Tania Groppi and Marie-Claire Ponthoreau
Table of Cases
INTERNATIONAL
European Court of Human Rights
Baranowski v Poland App no 28358/95 (28 March 2000) ...............................................316
Dudgeon v United Kingdom Series A no 45 (1982) 4 EHRR 149 .....................................404
Handyside v United Kingdom Series A no 24 (1979–80) 1 EHRR 737 ............................316
Hatton v United Kingdom App no 36022/97 (2003) 37 EHRR 28, 15 BHRC 259 ............93
Hirst v United Kingdom App no 74025/01 (2006) 42 EHRR 41, 19 BHRC 546 .............316
Kamasinski v Austria Series A no 168 (1991) 13 EHRR 36 .............................................316
Lingens v Austria Series A no 103 (1986) 8 EHRR 407 ...................................................316
Oberschlick v Austria Series A no 204 (1995) 19 EHRR 389 ...........................................316
Paˇduraru v Romania App no 63252/00 (2012) 54 E.H.R.R. 18 .......................................326
Refah Partisi (Welfare Party) v Turkey App no 41340/98 (2002) 35 EHRR 3 ..................316
Stanford v United Kingdom App no 16757/90 (23 February 1994) ..................................316
Tripodi v Italy, App no 13743/88 .....................................................................................316
Tyrer v United Kingdom Series App no 26 (1979–80) 2 EHRR 1 .......................................93
European Court of Justice
Jipa v Ministry of Administration and Interior (C-33/07) 31 July 2008 ...........................326
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Radilla-Pacheco v Mexico, 23 November 2009 ........................................................304, 305
DOMESTIC
Australia
Al-Kateb v Godwin (2004) 219 CLR 562 ..............................................................24, 25, 32
Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd
(Engineer’s case) (1920) 28 CLR 129 ..............................................................................18
Austin v Keele (1987) 61 ALJR 605, UKPC 24 ..................................................................17
Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1992) 177 CLR 106...................22
Australian Communist Party v Commonwealth (1951) 83 CLR 1 .....................................19
Baxter v Commissioners of Taxation (NSW) (1907) 4 CLR 1087 ......................................23
Behrooz v Secretary, Department of Immigration and Multicultural and
Indigenous Affairs (2004) 219 CLR 486 .........................................................................32
Betfair Pty Ltd v Racing New Soth Wales [2012] HCA 12 .................................................21
Coleman v Power (2004) 220 CLR 1 .................................................................................32
Cook v Cook (1986) 162 CLR 376 ....................................................................................17
Deakin v Webb (1904) 1 CLR 585 (State) ..........................................................................19
viii Table of Cases
Dietrich v Ilic Queen [1992] HCA 571 ...............................................................................75
Fardon v A-G (Qld) (2004) 223 CLR 575 ..........................................................................32
Forge v Australian Securities and Investments Commission (2006) 228 CLR 45 ................25
Freightlines and Construction Holdings Pty Ltd v New South Wales [1968] AC 625 .........17
Hogan v Hinch (2011) 243 CLR 506 .................................................................................38
ICM Agriculture v Commonwealth (2009) 240 CLR 140 ..................................................38
Jago v District Court of New South Wales (1989) 168 CLR 23..........................................14
James v Australia [1936] AC 578, [1936] 2 All ER 1449, (1936) 55 Ll L Rep 291 ............91
Judiciary and Navigation Acts, Re (19221) 29 CLR 257 ....................................................19
Kirmani v Captain Cook Cruises (1985) 159 CLR 351 ......................................................23
Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corp (1997) 189 CLR 520 .............................................22
Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1 ............................................................15, 23
McCawley v The King [1920] AC 691 ...............................................................................88
Melbourne Corp v Commonwealth (1947) 74 CLR 31 ......................................................22
Minister for State for the Army v Datziel (1944) 68 CLR 261 ...........................................89
Minister of State for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs v Teoh (1995) 183 CLR 273 ............23
Momcilovic v R (2011) 245 CLR 1 ..................................................................14, 20, 21, 38
Mulholland v Australian Electoral Commission (2004) 220 CLR 181 ...............................32
New South Wales v Commonwealth (2006) 228 CLR 1.....................................................21
Newcrest Mining (WA) Ltd v Commonwealth (1997) 190 CLR 513 .................................23
Ouartermaine v The Queen [1980] HCA 29 ....................................................................175
Pape v Commissioner of Taxation (2009) 238 CLR 1 ........................................................38
Parker v R (1963) 111 CLR 610 ........................................................................................17
Piro v W Foster & Co Ltd (1943) 68 CLR 313 ..................................................................17
Plaintiff S157/2002 v Commonwealth (2003) 211 CLR 476 ..............................................23
Polites v Commonwealth (1945) 70 CLR 60 ......................................................................23
Public Service Board of New South Wales v Osmond (1986) 159 CLR 656 .......................23
R v Barger (1908) 6 CLR 41 (Commonwealth) ..................................................................19
R v Kirby; Ex parte Boilermakers’ Society of Australia (Boilermaker’s case)
(1956) 94 CLR 254 ........................................................................................................16
R v Wakin; Ex parte McNally (1999) 198 CLR 511 ..........................................................18
Roach v Electoral Commissioner (2007) 233 CLR 162 ........................................25, 26, 423
Singh v Commonwealth (2004) 222 CLR 322 ...................................................................21
Sportsbet Pty Ltd v New South Wales [2012] HCA 13 .......................................................21
Theophanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1994) 182 CLR 104 ....................................22
Victoria v Commonwealth (1971) 122 CLR 353................................................................18
Viro v R (1978) 141 CLR 88 .......................................................................................17, 18
Wainohu v New South Wales (2011) 243 CLR 181 ...........................................................21
Wilde v The Queen [1988] HCA 6, 164 CLR 365 ...........................................................175
Austria
G78/00 .............................................................................................................................221
VfGH Beschluss V 136/94-10 [1995] ...............................................................................264
VfGH 28/06/2003 ............................................................................................................221
VfSlg 1341/1930 ..............................................................................................................218
VfSlg 1351/1930 ..............................................................................................................218
VfSlg 2455/1952 ..............................................................................................................225
VfSlg 3118/1956 ..............................................................................................................225
VfSlg 7138/1973 ..............................................................................................................218
Table of Cases ix
VfSlg 8981/1980 ..............................................................................................................221
VfSlg 9138/1981 ..............................................................................................................221
VfSlg 9416/1982 ..............................................................................................................221
VfSlg 9446/1982 ..............................................................................................................221
VfSlg 10.291/1984 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 10.809/1986 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 11.260/1987 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 11.402/1987 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 11.483/1987 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 11.651/1988 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 11.774/1988 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 12.103/1989 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 12.568/1990 ...................................................................................................221, 331
VfSlg 12.645/1991 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 12.660/1991 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 12.940/1991 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 13.036/1992 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 13.038/1992 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 13.661/1993 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 13.704/1994 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 13.785/1994 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg13.839/1994 ............................................................................................................221
VfSlg 14.075/1995 ...........................................................................................................225
VfSlg 14.390/1995 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 15.031/1997 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 15.040/1997 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 15.103/1998 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 15.299/1998 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 15.390/1998 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 15.632/1999 ...................................................................................................221, 223
VfSlg 15.987/2000 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 16.030/2000 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 16.636/2002 ...................................................................................................221, 223
VfSlg 17.098/2003 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.195/2004 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.206/2004 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.330/2004 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.415/2004 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.574/2004 .......................................................................................................... 221
VfSlg 17.584/2005 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.600/2005 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.605/2005 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.837/2006 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 17.979/2006 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 18.010/2006 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 18.018/2006 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 18.031/2006 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 18.150/2007 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 18.257/2007 ...........................................................................................................221
VfSlg 18.298/2007 ...........................................................................................................225
VfSlg 18.462/2008 ...........................................................................................................221