On 13 May 2021, a panel of five High Court justices ruled that the so-called Basic Structure Doctrine applies in Kenya. The judgment is not only a milestone from the perspective of comparative constitutional law; it might also change the future landscape of constitutionalism in Africa.
In the recent global history of constitutional democracies, it is difficult to name a single crisis that has plagued them simultaneously, until the COVID-19 pandemic. The calamity brought in by the virus was universal. For governments, it presented an opportunity for crisis management without compromising rights guarantees. Some countries have marginally succeeded in this test while in others, concerns of democratic decline were amplified. Three features defined the Indian response to COVID-19: lack of transparency, executive monopoly and suppression of dissent.
India is not only the world’s largest democracy, it also accounts for the largest number of internet shutdowns and take down requests to social media companies globally. The recent stand-off between Twitter and the Government of India (GoI) over suspending more than a thousand accounts supportive of farmers’ protests ended with Twitter falling in line with the GoI’s demands. This may set a dangerous precedent for digital platforms enabling other democratic governments to stifle online dissent.
Leider verschoben werden musste neulich der Berlinbesuch des Völkerrechtlers Antony Anghie, der nun voraussichtlich im Herbst 2012 bei Rechtskulturen über die von ihm vertretenen „Third World Approaches to International Law“ (TWAIL) sprechen wird. Diskutiert haben wir darüber trotzdem jetzt schon mal. In einem spannenden kleinen Roundtable Seminar mit Anne Orford, die auch die Rechtskulturen Lecture in diesem Semester hielt, stellte sich anläßlich einer Präsentation der Berliner Juristin und Islamwissenschaftlerin Nahed Samour die Frage, ob gegenwärtig womöglich in verschiedenen Rechtskulturen der (vermeintlichen) „Peripherien“ die Herausbildung einer „Dritten Generation“ von Völkerrechtlern und Völkerrechtlerinnen bzw. mit Begriffen des Rechts argumentierenden politischen Aktivisten beobachtet ... continue reading
As we continue to discuss the fundamental rights situation in the EU in our Verfassungsblog online symposion, we do keep an eye on law and politics in Germany – and on the world beyond our old world. I am currently in Cairo, to attend a conference on „International Law and the Periphery“ where I already listened to interesting, sometimes provocative and often enlightening presentations on law and revolution, political and ecological sustainability and cores and peripheries in international legal history. As so often, the things that remain undiscussed and undisputed are speaking a very clear language as well. But I ... continue reading
Indien hat einen Supreme Court, aber kein Verfassungsgericht – aber nach Meinung von K. G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice des Supreme Court of India, sollte es einen haben. Dessen Aufgabe, so der oberste Richter in der Zeitung „The Hindu“, wäre, to deal exclusively with matters relating to the Constitution, inter-State water disputes, and disputes and crimes of a ‘federal’ nature. Das zeigt, scheint mir, dass Kelsens große Idee auch in der Welt des Common Law Verbreitung findet. Balakrishnan verweist auf das Vorbild Südafrika, wo es ebenfalls einen eigenen Verfassungsgerichtshof gibt. Interessant auch ein weiterer Vorschlag Balakrishnans: Verhandlungen sollten per Fernsehen übertragen ... continue reading
13. September 2025
Giovanni Capoccia
12. September 2025
Anne Peters
12. September 2025
Anne Peters