27 April 2020
Poland and Hungary are withdrawing from the EU
The latest developments in Poland and Hungary beg the question of what the EU may, or indeed shall do when a Member State no longer fulfils the prerequisites of membership. Can the Union force that state to meet its duties against its will? Or should it ultimately acknowledge that state’s choice, and proceed with its orderly retreat from the EU legal order? Continue reading >>
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Let’s not fool ourselves either!
I read with great interest the blogpost “Don’t be fooled by autocrats!”. However, to my great regret there are some factual errors in the text which require clarification and, consequently, the post’s very dire conclusion about the actual situation in Hungary shall be to a certain extent revised. Continue reading >>
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Eine Agenda unter Druck
In der internationalen Politik und Rechtssetzung rückt die geschlechtersensible Analyse von Krisensituationen stärker in den Fokus. Das Potential einer gleichberechtigten Einbindung von Frauen in der Krisenbewältigung wurde bisher nicht ausgeschöpft; ihrer Schutzbedürftigkeit ist nicht ausreichend Rechnung getragen worden. Der UN-Policy Brief vom 9. April 2020 zeigt, dass dies auch in der aktuellen Corona-Krise wieder der Fall ist. Missstände wie Gewalt gegen Frauen, prekäre Arbeitsbedingungen in Berufen wie der Pflegearbeit und mangelnde sexuelle und reproduktive Gesundheitsversorgung verschärfen sich unter den Bedingungen der Krise. Continue reading >>
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The Future of Handshaking
When asked about handshaking recently, the U.S.’s lead virologist Dr. Fauci said: ‘I don’t think we should ever shake hands again’, referring to how it would prevent both coronavirus and seasonal influenza. In Europe, where the topic of the handshake has been a landmine in recent years, this medical requirement can lead to a much-needed cultural shift. Continue reading >>26 April 2020
Öffentlichkeit in Online-Gerichtsverhandlungen
Eine Initiative der Landesarbeitsgerichte will für die Arbeitsgerichtsbarkeit „Online-Gerichtsverhandlungen“ einführen, um den Herausforderungen der Corona-Krise zu begegnen. Dieser sog. Referentenentwurf wurde dem BMJV bereits vorgelegt und sieht vor, dass die Gerichtsverhandlung per Videokonferenz und unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit stattfinden kann. Das soll die Begegnung im Gerichtssaal vermeiden und so der Ausbreitung des Corona-Virus vorbeugen. Verfassungsrechtlich steht der Referentenentwurf auf sehr wackligen Beinen. Nicht so sehr, weil er eine völlig neue Form der Gerichtsverhandlung vorsieht, sondern weil diese im Geheimen stattfinden soll. Continue reading >>
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Österreich setzt das Asylrecht aus
Österreich hat aufgrund der grassierenden Coronapandemie de facto einen Einreisestopp für Asylwerber*innen erlassen. Diese (völker-)rechtswidrige Vorgehensweise scheint für nicht viel Empörung zu sorgen, da in Österreich bekanntlich das Recht der Politik folgt. Dass dadurch aber ein EU-Mitgliedstaat die Genfer Flüchtlingskonvention mit Füßen tritt und das Asylrecht aussetzt, sollte – vor allem auch aus juristischen Kreisen – zu einem lauteren Aufschrei führen. In der Folge wird daher gezeigt, inwiefern die österreichische Praxis sowohl völkerrechtswidrig ist als auch dem nationalen Recht widerspricht. Continue reading >>25 April 2020
The Green Pact and Rule of Law in the EU
The governments of 13 EU member states have signed a letter calling for a "green" way out of the COVID-19 crisis (although the Czech government has asked the EU to "forget" about its Green Pact). Interesting as this initiative may be, the EU must ensure that it does not become an instrument that undermines the fight for the rule of law in the EU. The history advises us to be vigilant because EU funds may become a useful instrument in hands of illiberal governments. Continue reading >>
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COVID-19 and the Need for a Holistic and Integral Approach to Human Rights Protection
While the pandemic is global, the challenges the individual regions are currently facing in their combat against COVID-19 are different and specific. In Latin America, the combat is embedded in a context of deep social and economic inequality, systematic violence and poverty. As the crisis is likely to exacerbate these structural inequalities it is clear that its implications must be examined in the light of human rights and in the light of intersectionality. Continue reading >>COVID-19 und der juristische Umgang mit Ungewissheit
Wer fragt nach dem Recht, wenn der Tod auf der Schwelle steht? Jurist*innen müssen das wohl tun, selbst wenn die Welt unterginge. Allerdings sollten sie sich auf Ungewissheit in globaler Ausbreitung und in bisher unbekanntem Ausmaße einstellen. Das Recht ist selten klüger als die Gesellschaft, deren Verhalten es reguliert. Solange es gelten will, muss es lernen. Continue reading >>24 April 2020
How Ecuador’s Constitutional Court is Keeping the Executive Accountable During the Pandemic
On 16 April 2020, the Ecuadorian Constitutional Court announced Decision No.1-20-EE/20, allowing it to monitor the impact of its previous judgments on the constitutionality of emergency powers granted to the President in the fight against Covid-19. This decision shows that a Constitutional Court can indeed play an essential role in a country’s response to a catastrophe, whose consequences are painfully obvious in Ecuador, one of the countries in Latin America worst hit by the pandemic. Continue reading >>It’s not about Bathroom Policies, it’s about Constitutional Principles
The United States Supreme Court is expected to soon deliver its judgment in the first transgender rights case before it. In the absence of federal laws protecting transgender persons from discrimination, the case revolves around the question whether the prohibition of discrimination ‘because of … sex’ transgender discrimination. The US Supreme Court appears to turn this into a question of political deliberation, bathroom policies and dress codes. The ECJ, on the other hand, instead of getting lost in policy discussions, has already in 1996 recognized the protection of transgender persons against discrimination based on the core constitutional principle of equality. The ECJ’s approach does in fact have a foothold under US case law and the US Supreme Court could seize the opportunity to bring transgender persons closer to enjoying the same rights as the general population. Continue reading >>
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The Law of the WHO, COVID-19 and the Multilateral World Order
A new virus, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Infected persons developed an atypical form of pneumonia, later known as COVID-19. The pathogen created a pandemic, with fatalities throughout the world, and also led to the adoption of restrictive measures which were, until recently, unthinkable, as well as fostering new political conflicts. Even the path of the multilateral order in its current form is at stake. For a take on these issues under international law, the legal regime of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its response to the pandemic provides an insightful access. Continue reading >>
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23 April 2020
Effective but Constitutionally Dubious
Although the pandemic is far from over, Greece has been praised so far for its fast and firm response to the crisis. The country’s efforts to contain the dissemination of the virus seem to have achieved а flattening of the curve, i.e. the slowing of the spread so that fewer people need to seek treatment at any given time. Greece owes much of its – to date – accomplishment to a number of dubious applications of the rules laid down in the Constitution. Continue reading >>22 April 2020
Auf der Suche nach der europäischen Solidarität in der Corona-Krise
Mehr Solidarität? Am 23. April 2020 wollen die im Europäischen Rat versammelten Staats- und Regierungschefs über weitere Schritte in der Corona-Krise beraten. Wer Corona-Bonds fordert, muss aber auch über eine grundlegende Reform des Euroraums mit mehr europäischer Kontrolle sprechen. Continue reading >>Don’t Be Fooled by Autocrats!
On 9 April, Vera Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission for values and transparency with lead responsibility for rule of law, gave an interview to Euronews on democracy in the pandemic. A journalist asked whether she believes that Hungary still qualifies as a democracy after the Enabling Act creating an indefinite state of emergency was enacted by the Hungarian Parliament on 30 March. Her answer was not reassuring. Continue reading >>
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The US Supreme Court’s Activism in the Wisconsin Election
United States lawyers may wonder whether President Trump has captured its Supreme Court. One day before a presidential primary and local election in Wisconsin, the Court intervened in an extraordinary way to add a new voting restriction. The decision in Republican National Committee v. Democratic National Committee provides further evidence that the Court has abandoned its high court role in favor of unusual partisan interventions to effectuate results found congenial by its Republican majority. Furthermore, a Court usually sensitive to national security concerns reached its judgment about the Wisconsin election without taking the threat the coronavirus poses to democratic processes seriously. Continue reading >>21 April 2020
State of Emergency Through the Back Door
One of the problems for Indonesia’s government when dealing with the coronavirus crisis was its non-transparent approach towards the public. Not least because of that, many people in Indonesia do not trust the government when it comes to handling the pandemic. The government’s attempt to declare the civilian emergency status which would have enabled it to control the flow of information has failed due to public opposition. A move by its police chief, however, is now trying to introduce emergency powers through the back door and in blatant disregard of a Constitutional Court ruling. Continue reading >>The Constitution as a Bargaining Chip
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Poland’s government is refusing to announce an emergency state, presumably in order to go ahead with the Presidential election on 10 May. Instead, the ruling coalition in Poland has been presenting increasingly controversial proposals aimed at ensuring that the country’s PiS-aligned President will remain in office. The most recent one envisages a constitutional amendment which would extend the president’s term of office. This proposal is nothing but an attempt to blackmail the opposition: either vote for a constitutional change or be blamed for the consequences of holding a presidential election during the pandemic. Continue reading >>Zwei Schritte vor, einer zurück
Am 16. April um 18 Uhr sollte in Hamburg eine Versammlung unter dem Titel „Abstand statt Notstand – Verwaltungsrechtler*innen gegen eine faktische Aussetzung der Versammlungsfreiheit“ stattfinden. Zu ihrer Zulässigkeit erließen Verwaltungsgericht (VG) und Oberverwaltungsgericht (OVG) jeweils Beschlüsse im einstweiligen Rechtsschutz. Unterschiedlicher hätten sie nicht ausfallen können, beide aber sind (auf ihre Art) bemerkenswert. Continue reading >>20 April 2020
Schmittian Instincts at Odds with Neoliberalism
Carl Schmitt is now regularly referenced in discussions of President Trump’s extraordinary and probably unprecedented claims to unchecked executive power. The President’s knee-jerk hostility to the administrative state, however, has helped spare Americans the worst consequences of his Schmittian legal instincts. Yet that hostility has come with its own high price. Continue reading >>
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