Human Rights in Private Law


Book Description

Traditionally,the theory of human rights limited its application to the public domain, namely the relationships between individuals and public authorities. The great expansion of human rights legislation and concepts in modern national and international law has given rise to a major issue relating to their potential impact on private relationships. This book examines this important topic, which may revolutionize private law. It presents new approaches which strive to broaden the application of human rights to the private field on the ground that power can be abused and human rights can be infringed even when all parties are private. The subject is examined from theoretical and comparative perspectives by leading scholars representing a diversity of legal systems - the United States, Canada, England, South Africa, Germany and Israel. Among the contributors are Professor Todd Rakoff (Harvard), Professor Roger Brownsword (Sheffield), Professor Hugh Beale (Warwick) and Professor Ewan McKendrick (Oxford), Professor Ernest Weinrib and Professor Lorraine Weinrib (Toronto), Professor Christian Starck (Gottingen), Professor Andreas Heldrich (Munich) and others.




The Influence of Human Rights and Basic Rights in Private Law


Book Description

This book provides a comparative perspective on one of the most intriguing developments in law: the influence of basic rights and human rights in private law. It analyzes the application of basic rights and human rights, which are traditionally understood as public law rights, in private law, and discusses the related spillover effects and changing perspectives in legal doctrine and practice. It provides examples where basic rights and human rights influence judicial reasoning and lead to changes of legislation in contract law, tort law, property law, family law, and copyright law. Providing both context and background analysis for any critical examination of the horizontal effect of fundamental rights in private law, the book contributes to the current debate on an important issue that deserves the attention of legal practitioners, scholars, judges and others involved in the developments in a variety of the world’s jurisdictions. This book is based on the General Report and national reports commissioned by the International Academy of Comparative Law and written for the XIXth International Congress of Comparative Law in Vienna, Austria, in the summer of 2014.







The Impact of the UK Human Rights Act on Private Law


Book Description

The Human Rights Act 1998 has had a profound effect in numerous private law decisions and has been the subject of extensive academic debate, in particular on the issue of the extent to which it has horizontal effect and its application in disputes between individuals. With contributions from a variety of academics and practitioners, this volume covers and contributes to the academic debate on horizontal effect and considers how theory matches up with case law; the limits of the Act for private law; and its impact on key areas including privacy, defamation, negligence, nuisance, property, commercial law and employment. Together, the book provides a practical critique of the areas discussed, which will be of academic interest to theorists and of practical benefit to lawyers and judges who wish to understand how the academic debates can be brought to bear in particular cases.




The Impact of the European Convention on Human Rights on Private International Law


Book Description

In this book the interaction between the rights guaranteed in the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and private international law has been analysed by examining the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) and selected national courts. In doing so the book focuses on the impact of the ECHR on the three main issues of private international law: jurisdiction, applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. Next to a list of cases consulted and a comprehensive bibliography, the book offers brief introductions to PIL and the ECHR for readers who are less familiar with either of the topics. This makes the book not only a valuable tool for specialists and practitioners in the fields covered, but at the same time a well-documented basis for students and starting researchers specializing in either or both directions.




Constitutionalisation of Private Law


Book Description

This publication aims at establishing a clear analysis of the nature and growth of the C-factor (C for constitutionalisation) in Germany, France, the UK and The Netherlands.




Human Rights and Private International Law


Book Description

1: Introduction 2: Human rights, private international law, and their interaction 3: The right to a fair trial 4: The right to a fair trial and jurisdiction under the EU rules 5: The right to a fair trial and recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments under the EU rules 6: The right to a fair trial and jurisdiction under national rules 7: The right to a fair trial and enforcement and recognition of foreign judgments under the traditional English rules 8: The right to a fair trial and private international law: Concluding remarks 9: The prohibition of discrimination and private international law 10: Freedom of expression and the right to respect for private life: International defamation and invasion of privacy 11: The right to marry, the right to respect for family life, the prohibition on discrimination and international marriage 12: Religious rights and recognition of marriage and extra-judicial divorce 13: Right to respect for family life and the rights of the child: International Child Abduction 14: Right to respect for private and family life and related rights: Parental status 15: The right to property, foreign judgments, and cross-border property disputes 16: Overall conclusions.




European Law and National Private Law


Book Description

European law affects national private law in many ways. This is not only true for EU Directives, but also for the EU Treaties, the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights and the general principles of EU law. This book explores the influence of European law on legal relationships between individuals.




The Turning Point in Private Law


Book Description

Can private law assume an ecological meaning? Can property and contract defend nature? Is tort law an adequate tool for paying environmental damages to future generations? This book explores potential resolutions to these questions, analyzing the evolution of legal thinking in relation to the topics of legal personality, property, contract and tort. In this forward thinking book, Mattei and Quarta suggest a list of basic principles upon which a new, ecological legal system could be based. Taking private law to represent an ally in the defence of our future, they offer a clear characterization of the fundamental legal institutions of common law and civil law, considering the challenges of the Anthropogenic era, technological tools of the Internet era, and the global rise of the commons. Summarizing the fundamental institutions of private law: property rights, legal personality, contract, and tort, the authors reveal the limits of these legal institutions in relation to historical international evolution and their regulation in the contexts of catastrophic ecological issues and technological developments. Engaging and thoughtful, this book will be interesting reading for legal scholars and academics of private law and, in particular, those wishing to understand the role of law when facing technological and ecological challenges.




Courts, Politics and Constitutional Law


Book Description

This book examines how the judicialization of politics, and the politicization of courts, affect representative democracy, rule of law, and separation of powers. This volume critically assesses the phenomena of judicialization of politics and politicization of the judiciary. It explores the rising impact of courts on key constitutional principles, such as democracy and separation of powers, which is paralleled by increasing criticism of this influence from both liberal and illiberal perspectives. The book also addresses the challenges to rule of law as a principle, preconditioned on independent and powerful courts, which are triggered by both democratic backsliding and the mushrooming of populist constitutionalism and illiberal constitutional regimes. Presenting a wide range of case studies, the book will be a valuable resource for students and academics in constitutional law and political science seeking to understand the increasingly complex relationships between the judiciary, executive and legislature.