Law Commons^™

The Birth Of The European Union: Us And Uk Roles In The Creation Of A Unified European Community, Bruce Carolan

Articles

The United States jealously guards its national sovereignty. This has been reflected in reluctance to participate fully in international agreements or organizations with a 'supranational' flavor, such as the International Criminal Court or the Kyoto Protocols. It is therefore surprising to find that the United States was one of the principal architects of the supranational characteristics of what has developed into the European Union. Specifically, the earliest stages of European integration, which is embodied in the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty, were heavily influenced by US insistence on creation of supranational institutions that could exert dominance over sovereign European …

How Just Is The Union's Area Of Freedom, Security And Justice?:An Assessment Of The Normative Status Of International Fundamental Rights In The Union's Legal Order., Stephen Carruthers

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This thesis argues that international fundamental rights provide the most appropriate measure of justice for the Union’s area of ‘freedom, security and justice’ (AFSJ). However, it is argued that the normative status of international fundamental rights in Union law is undermined by the pursuit of the objective of autonomy of Union law and deficiencies in the legal mechanisms for giving effect to those rights.

This research analyses the sources and normative status of international fundamental rights in Union law, and in particular the AFSJ, both as currently constituted and under the Constitution, and assesses the robustness and effectiveness of the …

The Search For Coherence In The Use Of Foreign Court Judgements By The Supreme Court Of Ireland, Bruce Carolan

Articles

The reference to foreign court judgments by the US Supreme Courts - particularly in cases involving the US Constitution - has sparked controversy. This controversy flared in Lawrence v. Texas, where Justice Scalia criticized Justice Kennedy for reference to judgments by the European Court of Human Rights in Justice Kennedy's majority opinion striking down the Texas sodomy statute. This article examines the issue from a different perspective: references to 'foreign' court judgments (including US Supreme Court opinions) by the Supreme Court of Ireland. The article examines the Irish Supreme Court's use of judgments from the European Court of Justice, the …