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Full-Text Articles in Comparative and Foreign Law

Translating Religious Principles Into German Law: Boundaries And Contradictions, Pascale Fournier, Régine Tremblay Jan 2014

Translating Religious Principles Into German Law: Boundaries And Contradictions, Pascale Fournier, Régine Tremblay

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First we present the basic rules of Islamic and Jewish law and the German state law that regulates them. Next we contend that the boundaries for shaping and applying religious norms are blurry. We argue that the conflicting outcomes might be explained by boundless discretion and informality in the religious adjudication process, but that this structure is not foreign to so-called secular family law. Thus, if the project of recognizing religious principles when it comes to family law is to be maintained, it must take stock of the conceptual and practical conflicts that inhere to the sphere of family law, …


Juries, Lay Judges, And Trials, Toby S. Goldbach, Valerie P. Hans Jan 2014

Juries, Lay Judges, And Trials, Toby S. Goldbach, Valerie P. Hans

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“Juries, Lay Judges, and Trials” describes the widespread practice of including ordinary citizens as legal decision makers in the criminal trial. In some countries, lay persons serve as jurors and determine the guilt and occasionally the punishment of the accused. In others, citizens decide cases together with professional judges in mixed decision-making bodies. What is more, a number of countries have introduced or reintroduced systems employing juries or lay judges, often as part of comprehensive reform in emerging democracies. Becoming familiar with the job of the juror or lay citizen in a criminal trial is thus essential for understanding contemporary …