Interpreting Constitutions: A Comparative Study

by Jeffrey Goldsworthy (Editor)

Overview

This book describes the constitutions of six major federations and how they have been interpreted by their highest courts, compares the interpretive methods and underlying principles that have guided the courts, and explores the reasons for major differences between these methods and principles. Among the interpretive methods discussed are textualism, purposivism, structuralism and originalism. Each of the six federations is the subject of a separate chapter written by a leading authority in the field: Jeffrey Goldsworthy (Australia), Peter Hogg (Canada), Donald Kommers (Germany), S.P. Sathe (India), Heinz Klug (South Africa), and Mark Tushnet (United States). Each chapter describes not only the interpretive methodology currently used by the courts, but the evolution of that methodology since the constitution was first enacted. The book also includes a concluding chapter which compares these methodologies, and attempts to explain variations by reference to different social, historical, institutional and political circumstances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191021664
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	02/09/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	802 KB

About the Author

Jeffrey Goldsworthy holds a Personal Chair at Monash University. His major interests are legal philosophy, and constitutional law, theory, and history. He has numerous publications in these fields, and is best known for his book "The Sovereignty of Parliament, History and Philosophy" (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1999), and many journal articles on constitutional interpretation.

Table of Contents

Preface     xiii
List of Contributors     xv
Abbreviations     xvii
Introduction   Jeffrey Goldsworthy     1
The Challenges of Constitutional Interpretation     1
Comparing Interpretive Methods and Philosophies     3
An Outline of What Follows     4
The United States: Eclecticism in the Service of Pragmatism   Mark Tushnet     7
The Constitution's Origins and Structure     8
Formation of the Constitution     8
Basis of the Constitution: Popular versus State Sovereignty     9
The Legislature and the Executive     10
The Supreme Court     12
Constitutional Amendment     15
Problems and Methods of Interpretation     17
General Problems of Constitutional Interpretation     17
Early Examples of Constitutional Interpretation     22
Text     27
Ordinary meaning     27
Technical meaning     28
Textual structure     29
'Holistic' interpretation     29
Text and practice     29
Constitutional Structure     30
'Representation-reinforcing Review'     33
Original Understanding     35
Appeals to Justice     38
Precedent     40
Considerations of Administrability     42
(Moderately) Disfavoured Interpretive Methods     44
Presumptive interpretation     44
Academic writing     44
Non-United States law     45
Conclusion     47
Preferred interpretive techniques     47
Eclecticism in practice     48
Techniques and subjects     48
Critical Evaluation     49
Canada: From Privy Council to Supreme Court   Peter W. Hogg     55
Introduction to Canada's Constitution     55
Constitution Act 1867     55
Constitution Act 1982     56
Amending Procedures     56
Charter of Rights     58
Supreme Court of Canada     58
Separation of Powers     60
Problems of Interpretation     61
Interpretation of the Residuary Clause     61
Interpretation of the Two Lists     66
Interpretation of the Charter of Rights     69
Interpretation of Aboriginal Rights     72
Interpretation of Judicial Independence     73
Sources of Interpretation      74
Constitution as Statute     74
Legislative History     77
Previous Decisions     79
Academic Writings     80
Comparative and International Sources     80
Modes of Interpretation     82
Originalism     82
Progressive Interpretation     84
Generous Interpretation     87
Purposive Interpretation     88
Unwritten Constitutional Principles     90
Influences on Interpretation     93
Bilingual and Bicultural Country     93
Aboriginal Peoples     95
Crisis Management by the Court     96
Conclusions on Interpretation     100
Dialogue between the Court and Legislatures     100
Presumption of Constitutionality     102
Formalism and Creativity     103
Australia: Devotion to Legalism   Jeffrey Goldsworthy     106
The Constitution's Origins and Structure     106
The Constitution     106
Judicial Review     110
The Judges     112
Problems and Methods of Interpretation     114
Causes of Interpretive Difficulties     114
Sources of Interpretive Principles      115
Current Interpretive Methodology     121
Words     121
Context     123
Extrinsic evidence of framers' intentions and purposes     123
'Structural' principles and implications     128
Precedent     130
Deference to other branches     130
Policy considerations     131
Formal and conceptual analysis     133
Comparative and international law     135
Academic writings     136
Weighing the Factors     136
Application of Interpretive Methodology     136
Grants of powers     136
Limitations on power, including rights     141
Changes Over Time: Recent Debates     144
Implied rights     145
Separation of powers     148
Original meaning and framers' intent     150
The Balance Between Legitimate and Illegitimate Creativity     152
Institutional and Cultural Factors     155
Critical Evaluation     158
Germany: Balancing Rights and Duties   Donald P. Kommers     161
Introduction     161
Genesis     162
Constitutive assembly     163
Constitutent power and reunification     165
The Basic Law: General Features     167
Supremacy of the Constitution     168
The constitutional structure     168
Rights, duties, and institutional guarantees     169
The amending process     171
The Federal Constitutional Court     172
Organization and composition     173
Authority and jurisdiction     174
Workload and decisional procedures     175
Problems of Interpretation     177
Conception of the Constitution     177
An objective order of values     179
Negative and positive rights     183
The horizontality of rights     184
Structures and relationships     186
Sources of Interpretation     189
Unwritten principles     189
The written Constitution     190
Historical materials     191
Judicial precedents     192
Academic writings     193
Comparative and international materials     194
Approaches to Interpretation     196
Textual interpretation     197
Drafting history     197
Structural interpretation     199
Teleological interpretation     200
Proportionality     201
Practical concordance     203
Passive virtues and dialogical techniques     204
Cultural and Institutional Determinants     206
Parliamentary Government     206
The Civil Law Tradition     207
Legal Education and Scholarship     208
Style of Judicial Decision-Making     210
Specialization     211
Conclusion     212
India: From Positivism to Structuralism   S. P. Sathe     215
Introduction     215
The Indian Constitution     215
Salient Features     216
Parliamentary government     216
Federalism     217
Bill of rights     218
Directive principles     220
Separation of powers     221
Amendment of the Constitution     221
Judicial review     222
The Judges     225
Problems and Methods of Interpretation     226
The Choice of Methods     226
Positivist and structuralist interpretation     226
The colonial heritage     227
The constituent assembly and the role of the judiciary      227
The Legal Positivism of the Early Years     229
External Aids to Interpretation     232
Interpreting the Federal Distribution of Power     232
Resolving Conflicts between Constitutional Provisions     234
Freedom of religion     234
Powers and privileges of legislatures     235
Towards Sociological Interpretation     236
Affirmative action for the weaker sections of society     236
Freedom of speech     238
Property rights     239
Towards Structuralist Interpretation: the Basic Structure Doctrine     242
Emergencies     248
Post-emergency Judicial Activism     251
Liberal interpretation of fundamental rights and directive principles     251
Article 21 revisited     252
International covenants and fundamental rights     254
Competing values and balancing     255
Procedural innovations for access to justice     256
Transformation from adversarial to polycentric-law making through directions     257
The independence of the judiciary     259
The Court as a Political Institution     261
Institutional and Cultural Factors     263
Conclusion     265
South Africa: From Constitutional Promise to Social Transformation   Heinz Klug     266
Introduction to South Africa's Constitution     266
Constitution, 1996     267
The Colonial Constitutional Order: the Union and Apartheid Constitutions     268
Democratic Transition, Constitutional Principles and the 1993 Interim Constitution     271
Regionalism and Cooperative Governance     275
Rule of Law and the Bill of Rights     278
Amending Procedures     281
Constitutional Court     282
Sources of Interpretation     284
Constitution as Statute     285
Legislative History     286
Public Opinion and Constitutional Values     287
International and Comparative Sources     289
Modes of Interpretation     292
Generous Interpretation     292
Purposive Interpretation     293
Positive Obligations and Accountability     295
Duty to Develop the Common Law and Customary Law     296
Internal Directives for Interpretation     297
Problems of Interpretation     298
Certification and the Problem of Future Constitutional Amendments     299
Interpreting the Bill of Rights within the Frame of Dignity, Equality and Freedom     302
Interpretation of Socio-economic Rights     307
Interpretation of Regional and Concurrent Powers     309
Influences on Interpretation     314
History     314
The Historical Exclusion of Indigenous Law and the Hope of Ubuntu     316
Legal Legacies and Popular Experience of the Law     318
Conclusion     320
Conclusions   Jeffrey Goldsworthy     321
Introduction     321
Comparing Interpretive Methods and Philosophies     325
The United States     326
Canada     328
Australia     329
Germany     330
India     332
South Africa     334
Explaining the Differences     335
Legal Culture     336
Judicial Appointments and Homogeneity     337
Political Culture     338
The Nature and Age of the Constitution     341
'The Felt Necessities of the Time'     343
Index     347

Editorial Reviews

"The book is a success. The essays are largely coherent in both structure and vocabulary; the authors manage to insert distinct perspectives while keeping to their organizational discipline; and the essays support readers in generating ideas for new research directions. Although the book focuses on questions of constitutional interpretation, the comparative orientation and the scope of constitutional questions that each essay addresses will make it a valuable reference for political scientists and political theorists, not just lawyers. The book will prove especially useful to graduate students or researchers contemplating a shift in their primary research direction." - Mariah Zeisberg, The Law and Politics Book Review (Vol. 16, No. 8)

From the Publisher