Constitutional Courts: A Comparative Study

This book contains an outstanding set of essays on constitutional courts. In many nations constitutional justice can be identified as a central feature of contemporary constitutionalism. Moreover, viewed from a comparative global perspective it is clear that constitutional justice as well as providing a special kind of dispute resolution, also has been turned to as a means of safeguarding conditions of liberal democracy. What characteristics must such a court possess to undertake the tasks that confront them? These contributions by providing an analysis of features such as constitutional context, jurisdictional scope, organisational features and interpretative techniques to give a selective snapshot of the legal characteristics and the operation of constitutional courts across the world. The chapters by a team of leading international scholars include a general introduction and then focus on: Austria, Central and Eastern Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Egypt, Francophone Africa, South Africa, Latin America, East Asia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Table of Contents:
Preface                                                                                                                                INTRODUCTION   Constitutional Courts: Forms, Functions and Practice in Comparative Perspective Andrew Harding, Peter Leyland and Tania Groppi                                               EUROPE Austria: The Constitutional Court of Austria: Modern Profiles of an Archetype of Constitutional Review Anna Gamper and Francesco Palermo                                                                    Central and Eastern Europe: Constitutional Courts of Central and Eastern Europe: Between Adolescence and Maturity Kasia Lach and Wojchiech Sadurski                                                                         France: The French Conseil Constiutionnel: An Evolving Form of Constitutional Justice Marie Claire Ponthoreau and Fabrice Hourquebie                                                 Germany: Das Bundsverfassungsgericht: Procedure, Practice and Policy of the German Federal Constitutional Court Donald P Kommers and Russell A Miller                                                               Italy: The Italian Constitutional Court: Towards a ‘Multilevel System’ of Constitutional Review Tania Groppi                                                                                                             Russia: The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation: The Establishment and Evolution of Constitutional Supervision in Russia Jane Henderson                                                                                                          Spain: The Spanish Constitutional Court: Time for Reforms Victor Ferreres Comella                                                                                            Turkey: The Constitutional Court of Turkey: The Anayasa Mahkemesi as the Protector of the System Esin Örücü                                                                                                                AFRICA Egypt: Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court: Managing Constitutional Conflict in an Authoritarian Aspirationally ‘Islamic’ State Clark B Lombardi                                                                                                       Francophone Africa: Models of Constitutional Jurisdiction in Francophone West Africa Babacar Kanté                                                                                                            South Africa: South Africa’s Constitutional Court: Enabling Democracy and Promoting Law in the Transition from Apartheid Heinz Klug                                                                                                                 ASIA East Asia: Constitutional Courts in East Asia: Understanding Variation Tom Ginsburg                                                                                                            Indonesia and Thailand: The Constitutional Courts of Thailand and Indonesia: Two Case Studies from South East Asia Andrew Harding and Peter Leyland                                                                         SOUTH AMERICA Constitutional Courts in Latin America: A Testing Ground for New Parameters of Classification? Justin O Frosini and Lucio Pegoraro                                                                         Index