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Comparative and Foreign Law

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Golden Gate University School of Law

South African constitution

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Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Transformative Constitutionalism In South Africa: Creative Uses Of Constitutional Court Authority To Advance Substantive Justice, Eric Christiansen Jan 2010

Transformative Constitutionalism In South Africa: Creative Uses Of Constitutional Court Authority To Advance Substantive Justice, Eric Christiansen

Publications

In this Article, I will first discuss some easily overlooked constitutional tools for promoting greater social justice: the procedural provisions of the South African Constitution related to jurisdiction, access, remedies and constitutional interpretation. Following that, I will use three recent Constitutional Court cases to demonstrate the Court's creative (and promising) use of its judicial authority to advance substantive justice. By way of conclusion, I will elaborate on the meaning of these recent developments for the transformative agenda of South Africa and for other nations.


Using Constitutional Adjudication To Remedy Socio-Economic Injustice: Comparative Lessons From South Africa, Eric C. Christiansen Jan 2008

Using Constitutional Adjudication To Remedy Socio-Economic Injustice: Comparative Lessons From South Africa, Eric C. Christiansen

Publications

This article seeks to explore the effectiveness of constitutional protection and court adjudication of social welfare rights as tools to address and remedy social injustice and economic inequality. The focus of this examination will be on South Africa and its post-apartheid Constitution that enumerates rights and protections intended to remedy the economic injustices of the country's past. This article argues that the model of adjudicating social rights in South Africa is exportable to other countries, while clarifying the reasonable expectations and potential contributions of such adjudication toward the achievement of socio-economic justice. Part I addresses two questions: first, why look …