Human Rights Law Commons^™

Jurgen Habermas’S Theory Of Legal Discourse, Robert Alexy

Cardozo Law Review

Jurgen Habermas's discourse theory of law attempts to show that the ideal contents of the discourse principle can be realized within the institutional frame of a legal system. The result is a theory of the democratic constitutional state whose basic idea is the association and self-determination of free and equal consociates under the law. This theory is far more than a mere application of discourse theory to the law. Discourse theory, on the one hand, demands the institutionalization of a legal system for reasons internal to the theory. On the other hand, the positive law remains dependent on discourse theory …

The Dynamics Of Constitutional Adjudication, Bernhard Schlink

Cardozo Law Review

Habermas determines the role and legitimacy of constitutional adjudication through three confrontations. First, he confronts both the liberal and the welfare-state paradigms of law, seeing constitutional adjudication move from the former to the latter. Habermas wants this move to arrive at a procedural paradigm of law. Second, he confronts a norm- and a value-oriented understanding of the constitution. Habermas indicates the dangers of the former and the merits of the latter, and attempts to show that principles, understood as norms, should guide constitutional adjudication. Third, he confronts the liberal and the republican views of the political and constitutional process, developing …

Introduction, Belinda Cooper

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article explores the emergence and gradual integration of feminist jurisprudence in Germany, highlighting the challenges and opportunities faced by women in law as feminist ideas begin to influence legal academia and practice. It traces the development of feminist legal scholarship in Germany, starting from its early stages in the 1980s to the establishment of institutionalized feminist jurisprudence at Humboldt University. The article introduces a collection of writings that examine key legal issues affecting women in Germany, emphasizing the interplay between German and European Community law, as well as the cultural and historical contexts that shape legal discourse.

On The History Of Fathers' Rights And Mothers' Duty Of Care, Sibylla Flügge

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the historical evolution of custody rights in Germany, focusing on the shift from maternal preference to increasing recognition of fathers' rights. It argues that the legal system's move toward joint custody and equal parental rights reflects broader societal changes in gender roles, while also critiquing the potential backlash against women's emancipation. The analysis highlights how improvements in fathers' legal standing have often coincided with decreased obligations for men to actively care for children, raising concerns about the practical implications for mothers and children.

Using The American Courts To Prosecute International Crimes Against Women: Jane Doe V. Radovan Karadzic And S. Kadic V. Radovan Karadzic, Rachel Bart

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note examines the use of the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) to prosecute international crimes against women, focusing on the *Karadzic* cases. It argues that these cases represent a significant expansion of U.S. federal jurisdiction over human rights abuses, particularly gender-based violence, committed abroad. The Second Circuit's decision to reverse the district court's dismissal and the Supreme Court's denial of certiorari affirmed the applicability of ATCA and TVPA to non-state actors and clarified their role in enforcing international human rights standards.

The New Ethiopian Constitution: Its Impact Upon Unity, Human Rights And Development, Minasse Haile

Articles

The 1994 Ethiopian Constitution, while intended to address historical injustices, has exacerbated tribalism, human rights violations, and poverty by establishing a flawed federal system based on ethnic affiliation. The Constitution grants excessive autonomy to ethnic-based states, undermining national unity and central authority. Its lack of enforceable limitations on government power, absence of judicial review, and emphasis on secession have created a system prone to instability and human rights abuses. The article argues that the Constitution's structure, inspired by defunct Soviet models, is ill-suited to Ethiopia's needs, threatening its democracy, development, and cohesion.

Civil Defamation Law And The Press In Russia: Private And Public Interests, The 1995 Civil Code, And The Constitution, Part Two, Peter Krug

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Human Rights, International Law, And Domestic Courts, Edward D. Re

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article explores the role of domestic courts, particularly in the United States, in enforcing international human rights norms and the challenges posed by sovereign immunity. It argues that U.S. courts should give greater effect to international legal norms, especially in cases involving human rights violations by foreign states. The analysis critiques the U.S. Supreme Court's narrow interpretation of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) in Saudi Arabia v. Nelson and advocates for a more expansive approach to ensure accountability for human rights abuses.

The Right To Self-Defense Once The Security Council Takes Action, Malvina Halberstam

Articles

No abstract provided.

The United Kingdom, The European Court Of Human Rights, And Constitutional Review, A. W. Bradley

Cardozo Law Review

The aim of this Article is to consider whether there is now in the United Kingdom the embryo of a procedure for constitutional review that results from the United Kingdom's adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights as well as the burgeoning case law being developed by the European Court of Human Rights. To the extent that such an embryo exists, I hope to show that this is a development which has not been directly willed by the United Kingdom Parliament, nor by successive United Kingdom governments. Assuming that this process deserves to be described as piecemeal constitution making, …

The Reach Of Rights In The New Russian Constitution, Antti Korkeakivi

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The new Russian Constitution incorporates a comprehensive catalogue of human rights, largely mirroring international standards and Western democracies, while retaining elements influenced by Soviet tradition. It rejects the socialist notion that rights are state-granted, declaring them inalienable and innate. However, the Constitution’s effectiveness in protecting these rights remains uncertain, as its success hinges on the judiciary’s ability to enforce them independently, despite historical weaknesses and ongoing concerns about judicial autonomy.

Per Humanitatem Ad Pacem: International Humanitarian Norms As A Jurisprudence Of Peace In The Former Yugoslavia, Mark R. Von Sternberg

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Bosnia-Herzegovina: A Case Study Of Anarchy In The Third World, Alex N. Dragnich

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article examines the historical and political roots of the Bosnian conflict within the broader context of Yugoslavia's dissolution. It argues that the West, particularly Germany and Austria, mismanaged the crisis by prematurely recognizing the secession of Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia, which exacerbated the conflict. The analysis critiques the international community's failure to consider Serbia's historical and legal claims, as well as its misinterpretation of the conflict as a simple struggle for democracy rather than a complex ethnic and political dispute. The author contends that Western policies ignored Serbian fears rooted in World War II atrocities and the perceived threat …

The Legality Of Humanitarian Intervention, Malvina Halberstam

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article argues that humanitarian intervention, defined as the use of force by one state in another's territory to protect individuals from imminent death or injury when the host state cannot or will not act, is lawful under customary international law and not prohibited by the UN Charter. The author advocates for a narrow definition to ensure legitimacy and prevent misuse, emphasizing that such intervention should remain permissible even without UN Security Council authorization.

Democracy And Pluralism: A Critique Of The Rationalist Approach, Chantal Mouffe

Cardozo Law Review

In recent decades, categories like ,"human nature," "universal reason," and "rational autonomous subject" increasingly have been questioned. From different standpoints, a variety of thinkers have criticized the ideas of a universal human nature, of a universal canon of rationality through which that human nature could be known, as well as the possibility of an unconditional universal truth. Such a critique of Enlightenment's universalism and rationalism, which is sometimes referred to as "postmodernism," has been presented by some authors, for example, Jirgen Habermas, as constituting a threat to the modem democratic project. They consider that the link existing between the democratic …

Rights In Psychoanalytic And Feminist Perspective, Renata Salecl

Cardozo Law Review

All major philosophical schools todaytake some position on the issue of human rights. On the one hand, so-called postmodern theorists ask how we can understand the narrative of human rights when we no longer believe that its claims are true or that metanarratives are even possible. Instead of searching for first principles and metanorms, postmodernists analyze the discursive form of the notion of rights and read this form as a part of the historically limited Enlightenment project that today has lost its relevance. Neo-Kantians, on the other hand, speak in favor of the notion of human rights and try to …

Ideology As Cultural Software, J. M. Balkin

Cardozo Law Review

This essay concerns one of the apparent casualties of the rise of postmodernism-the theory of ideology. In fact, the "theory of ideology" has never been a unitary theory. From its inception the concept of ideology has always been contested, and hence the theory has generated many variations. The most common version asserts that individuals are afflicted with beliefs that in some way mystify or obscure social reality. This mystification in turn works to the advantage of some classes and to the disadvantage of others. This formulation was developed most prominently within the marxist tradition; it has proved a tempting but …

Legality Of Secessions: The Case Of Eritrea, Minasse Haile

Articles

The article critically examines the legal basis for Eritrea's secession from Ethiopia in 1993, arguing that the secession lacks a solid foundation under international law. It contends that Eritrea's independence does not meet the criteria for self-determination as defined by international instruments, emphasizing that the process was flawed and did not genuinely reflect the will of the Eritrean people. The analysis highlights the international community's opposition to secession to preserve territorial integrity and stability, asserting that Eritrea's secession undermines peace and security in the Horn of Africa.

Jurisprudence And Personality In The Work Of John Rawls, David G. Carlson

Articles

The article argues that John Rawls's concept of the person undergoes a significant shift between A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism, necessitating a corresponding change in jurisprudence. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls employs a "correlative jurisprudence," where law is determinate, complete, and judges merely apply existing law. This approach is tied to a narrow, passive view of personality, treating individuals as mere loci of liberty and rights. In contrast, Political Liberalism presents a dynamic, contradictory conception of the person as a union of moral capacity and a determinate conception of the good. This shift, the article contends, requires …

Table Of Contents - Cardozo Law Review, Volume 16, Issue 1

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Women, Law, And Inequality: Rethinking International Human Rights, Mary Elizabeth Bartholomew, Drucilla Cornell

Cardozo Law Review

In 1984, Robin Morgan posed this remarkable question in her historic book Sisterhood is Global. The Feminist Legal Resource Center remains but an unrealized goal of the international feminist legal community. Such a center could benefit women, especially women in the law, seeking to obtain access to information about trends and movements worldwide in the struggle to expand the rights of women. Beginning for the most part with the aftermath of World War II, when individuals became subjects of international law with the creation and proliferation of human rights law, lawyers and others concerned with the promotion of good government …

Nationalism And The Right To Self-Determination: The Arab-Israeli Conflict, Malvina Halberstam

Articles

Self-determination is a slogan that has captured the imagination of people throughout the world. Numerous U.N. General Assembly resolutions have exalted self-determination, often above the fundamental rights specifically provided for in the U.N. Charter. Notwithstanding these resolutions, in practice, self-determination generally has been applied only to the dismemberment of colonial empires. Its universal application is neither possible nor desirable.

In the Arab-Israeli conflict, self-determination was never truly the issue. The conflict has been deliberately transformed into a claim for self-determination as a political tactic designed to gain the support of third world countries in the United Nations. The issues in …

Never Again? The "Concentration Camps" In Bosnia-Herzegovina: A Legal Analysis Of Human Rights Abuses, Alan C. Laifer

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The note draws parallels between the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the ongoing violence in Bosnia, emphasizing the need for international accountability. It advocates for the establishment of a War Crimes Tribunal, modeled after the Nuremberg Tribunal, to prosecute individuals responsible for genocide and other war crimes. The analysis critiques the international community’s inaction and underscores the importance of upholding international law to prevent future atrocities.

Girls Lean Back Everywhere: The Law Of Obscenity And The Assault On Genius By Edward De Grazia, Robert M. O'Neil

Cardozo Law Review

Such a headline from the 1990s reminds American readers that, however shameful may have been the treatment of obscenity and pornography in the United States during the past one hundred years, things could have been worse. Even so, the record here is hardly a source of pride-nor does the story have an altogether happy ending, if it has one at all. Yet it is a story that badly needs to be told, and never has it been better told than by Edward de Grazia in Girls Lean Back Everywhere.

Adoption Nightmares Prompt Judicial Recognition Of The Tort Of Wrongful Adoption: Will New York Follow Suit?, Marci J. Blank

Cardozo Law Review

On May 13, 1966, Martin and Phyllis Juman adopted a sixteenmonth-old baby boy named Michael. The adoption agency, Louise Wise Services, represented to the Jumans that Michael was healthy. However, over the past twenty-seven years, Michael, now twentyeight, has experienced a myriad of psychological problems and has been hospitalized on several occasions.

The Merryman Power And The Dilemma Of Autonomous Executive Branch Interpretation, Michael Stokes Paulsen

Cardozo Law Review

Most everybody today concedes some degree of executive branch autonomy in the interpretation of federal law. The examples most frequently given of areas of executive interpretive autonomy involve situations where the President interprets the law incident to the exercise of those constitutional powers that are thought to be exclusively presidential (and thus unreviewable by the courts), such as the pardon and the veto. The President may grant a pardon (it is generally conceded) on legal grounds rejected by the courts. For example, he may issue a pardon based on his opinion that a conviction was unconstitutional, notwithstanding the judiciary's contrary …

Protecting The Office Of Legal Counsel From Itself, Harold Hongju Koh

Cardozo Law Review

Pardon me if I act like a black sheep at this symposium of Office of Legal Counsel ("OLC") alumni. Like most OLC alumni, I share the genuine affection and respect for the Office and its traditions that this symposium reflects. But at the same time, I cannot fully accept the undertone of self-congratulation that pervades this panel's two principal papers. My discomfort grows from the inordinate amount of time that I have spent over the last few years disagreeing with OLC positions, particularly in three areas of United States foreign policy. The first concerns the "Iran-Contra" prosecution of Oliver North …

Prostitution: A Violation Of Women's Human Rights, Dorchen Leidholdt

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that prostitution is a violation of women's human rights, asserting that it is not a form of work or a legitimate choice but rather an exploitative institution rooted in gender inequality. The author criticizes the pro-prostitution lobby for framing prostitution as empowering, arguing that this perspective ignores the inherent abuse and exploitation faced by women in the industry.

European Law: A Case Study Of Changes In National Broadcasting, Willem F. Korthals Altes

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Decriminalizing Prostitution: Liberalization Or Dehumanization?, Jeanne Schroeder

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article explores the contentious debate over the decriminalization of prostitution, examining whether it represents liberalization or dehumanization. It highlights the complexities of the issue, emphasizing that decriminalization is not a straightforward solution but rather a deeply contested and multifaceted question. The discussion underscores the need to consider the ethical, legal, and societal implications of prostitution, particularly its impact on women, who are disproportionately affected by both the practice and its criminalization.