Law Commons^™

Princípios-Tópicos De Hermenêutica Constitucional, Paulo Ferreira Da Cunha

Paulo Ferreira da Cunha

Houve tempo em que a Constituição servia para poisar ou charuto ou tirar um argumento político, como ironicamente afirmaria o grande escritor oitocentista Eça de Queiroz. Hoje a Constituição é a norma das normas. Daí há consequências hermenêuticas. Ao contrário das teorias que importam interpretação tradicional e, por vezes, em grande medida ultrapassada, para o Direito Constitucional, a tendência actual é a inversa: dada a supremacia da Constituição, deve ser a metodologia constitucional a exportar hermenêutica para o todo do Direito. Para isso, começamos neste artigo com grandes princípios de hermenêutica intra-constitucional. Depois se passará à exportação.

Transformation Of Japan’S Civil Society Landscape, Mary Alice Haddad

Mary Alice Haddad

Japan’s civil society is being transformed as more people volunteer for advocacy and professional nonprofit organizations. In the American context, this trend has been accompanied by a decline in participation in traditional organizations. Does the rise in new types of nonprofit groups herald a decline of traditional volunteering in Japan? This article argues that while changes in civil rights, political opportunity structure, and technology have also taken place in Japan, they have contributed to the rise of new groups without causing traditional organizations to decline, because Japanese attitudes about civic responsibility have continued to support traditional volunteering.

Wrestling With Muds To Pin Down The Truth About Special Districts, Sara Galvan

Sara C. Bronin

Federal, state, and local governments encourage and empower special districts—board-run, special purpose local government units that are administratively and fiscally independent from general purpose local governments. Special districts receive incentives, grants, and freedom from limitations (such as limitations on tax and debt) imposed on general purpose local governments. Special districts are treated favorably because they are small in size, which theoretically means they foster democratic participation; are limited in purpose, meaning that states can tailor the special districts' powers to serve specific problems; and are viewed as efficient solutions to specific problems. Though special districts have tripled in number over …

Politics And Volunteering In Japan: A Global Perspective, Mary Alice Haddad

Mary Alice Haddad

Politics and Volunteering begins by painting a portrait of volunteering in Japan, and demonstrates that our current understandings of civil society have been based implicitly on a U.S. model that does not adequately consider participation patterns found in other parts of the world. The book develops a theory of civic participation that, incorporates citizen attitudes about governmental and individual responsibility, with societal and governmental practices that support (or hinder) volunteer participation. This theory is tested using cross-national and sub-national statistical analysis, and it is refined through detailed case studies of volunteering in three Japanese cities. The findings are then used …

The Democratic Right To Full Bilingual Education, Thomas Kleven

Thomas Kleven

The law currently provides no right to bilingual education as such. The state does have a duty to take reasonable steps to overcome the English language deficiencies of children whose native language is not English. If transitional bilingual education is necessary to achieve that end, then it is required. But if not, if, for example, total immersion works as a way to achieve proficiency in English, then bilingual education is not required. Moreover, to the extent it is required, bilingual education may be discontinued once the transition to English is achieved. There is no obligation to enable a non-native English …

The Compact Clause And The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Derek T. Muller

Derek T. Muller

Despite previous historical failed attempts to abolish the Electoral College at the federal level, in the months following the 2000 election, several lawyers, politicians, and academics concocted a novel plan to abolish the College at the State level. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would be enacted State by State and require each enacting State to give its electoral votes to the winner of a plurality of the national popular vote.

This Article does not attempt to address the merits or drawbacks of the system as a matter of policy. Instead, Part I begins with a brief history of the …

Direito À Informação Ou Deveres De Protecção Informativa Do Estado?,, Paulo Ferreira Da Cunha

Paulo Ferreira da Cunha

A Liberdade de Informação poderá ser simultaneamente defendida pelo dever de abstenção do Estado na esfera de exercício privado (não perigoso) de cada cidadão ou grupo “ordeiro” de cidadãos, e pelo dever de protecção dos cidadãos e das suas pessoas morais (incluindo obviamente associações e empresas) nos casos em que a ordem natural da rede social equitativa seja rompida, designadamente por fenómenos de massificação arregimentadora, trusts anti-concorrência, violação de direitos fundamentais, etc., e, no limite, crime. Mas o discernimento e ponderação terão que ser muito grandes.

Les Limites Du Pouvoir De Révision Constitutionnelle Entre Le Pouvoir Constituant Et La Constitution Matérielle. Une Illustration Dans Le Contexte Lusophone, Paulo Ferreira Da Cunha

Paulo Ferreira da Cunha

May we relate with intellectual profit some 'abstract' constitutional concepts such as "pouvoir constituant", "constitution matérielle" and "limites matériels de révision constitutionnelle"?

Do Constitucionalismo Brasileiro: Uma Introdução Histórica (1824-1988), Paulo Ferreira Da Cunha

Paulo Ferreira da Cunha

It is not usual to write a constitutional history from the view point of a foreigner. This is a essai of a glimpse of Brazilian constitutional history from the perspective of a Portuguese, descending from Bazilians, descending from Portuguese. In spite of those circunstances, of course the aim was always the possible objectivity in History and in Constitutional Law History.

In The Heat Of The Law, It's Not Just Steam: Geothermal Resources And The Impact On Thermophile Biodiversity, Donald J. Kochan, Tiffany Grant

Donald J. Kochan

Significant research has been conducted into the utilization of geothermal resources as a ‘green’ energy source. However, minimal research has been conducted into geothermal resource utilization and depletion impacts on thermophile biodiversity. Thermophiles are organisms which have adapted over millions of year to extreme temperature and chemical compositions and exist in hot springs and other geothermal resources. Their ability to withstand high temperatures makes them invaluable to scientific and medical research. Current federal and California case law classify geothermal resources as a mineral, not a water resource. Acquisition of rights to develop a geothermal resource owned or reserved by the …

A Localist's Case For Decentralizing Immigration Policy, Matthew J. Parlow

Matthew Parlow