A Constitutionalist Approach to the European Convention on Human Rights

The Legitimacy of Evolutive and Static Interpretation

Lisa Sonnleitner (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

272 Seiten

2023
Hart Publishing (Verlag)
978-1-5099-4691-4 (ISBN)

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This book presents a new constitutional argument for the legitimacy of evolutive interpretation of the ECHR. It constructs a model, in which evolutive and static constitutional principles are balanced with each other.

The author argues that there are three possible interpretive approaches in time-sensitive interpretations of the ECHR, but that only one of them is justifiable by reference to the constitutional principles of the ECHR in every single case.

The ECHR’s constitutional principles either require an evolutive or static interpretation or they do not establish a preference relation at all, which leads to a margin of appreciation of the member states in the interpretation of the Convention. The balancing model requires the determination of the weights of the competing evolutive and static constitutional principles. For this purpose, the author defines weighting factors for determining the importance of evolutive or static interpretation in a concrete case.

Lisa Sonnleitner is Lecturer of Jurisprudence at Karl-Franzens University Graz, Austria.

PART I
FUNDAMENTALS
1. On the Concepts of Law and Human Rights
I. The Dual Nature of Law
II. The Concept of Human Rights
2. A New Concept of Evolutive and Static Interpretation
I. Evolutive Interpretation Within a Normative Theory of Interpretation
II. Evolutive Interpretation as an Element of the Time Dimension of Interpretation
III. Static Interpretation as the Parameter for Evolutive Interpretation
3. The Legitimacy of Evolutive Interpretation Revisited
I. Evolutive Interpretation and the ECHR
II. Evolutive Interpretation and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
III. Evolutive Interpretation and General Principles of International Law
4. The Criticism against Evolutive Interpretation Revisited
I. Democratic Legitimacy of Evolutive Interpretation
II. Sovereignty
III. Rule of Law

PART II
THE ECHR CONSTITUTION
5. The Argument of Constitutionalism
I. Constitutionalism in the International Realm
II. Cosmopolitan Constitutionalism
III. Deliberative or Discursive Constitutionalism
6. The Constitutional Nature of the ECHR
I. The Constitutional Status of the ECHR’s Judicial Review Mechanism
II. Locating the ECHR in the International Constitutionalism Debate
7. Three Basic Constitutional Principles of the ECHR
I. The Three Pillars of the Council of Europe as Constitutional Principles
II. The Ideal and Real Dimension in the ECHR
III. Time Dimension of Interpretation and the Dual Nature of the ECHR

PART III
BALANCED LEGITIMACY MODEL
8. Setting the Scene for Balancing at the Interpretation Stage
I. The Distinction between Rules and Principles
II. Connecting Static and Evolutive Interpretation to Formal and Material Principles
III. Balancing in the Different Stages of Law Application
IV. Balancing of Interpretive Canons
9. The Balancing Model for Evolutive and Static Interpretation
I. Basic Ideas on the Balancing Model
II. Critical Aspects of Balancing in Human Rights Interpretation
III. Internal Structure of the Balancing Model
IV. Weight Formula
10. External Justification
I. How to Accord Weights in the ECHR?
II. Weighting Rules in the Time Dimension of Interpretation
III. The Epistemic Reliability of the Underlying Premises

PART IV
THE BALANCED LEGITIMACY MODEL APPLIED
11. The Right to Divorce
I. Facts of the Case
II. Time Dimension of Interpretation
III. The ECtHR’s Reasoning
IV. The Balancing of Static and Evolutive Interpretation
V. The Legitimacy of the Evolutive Approach to Interpretation
12. The Right to Assisted Suicide
I. Facts of the Case
II. Time Dimension of Interpretation
III. The ECtHR’s Reasoning
IV. The Balancing of Static and Evolutive Interpretation
V. The Legitimacy of the Static Approach to Interpretation
13. The Right to Preservation of the Environment
I. Facts of the Case
II. Time Dimension of Interpretation
III. The ECtHR’s Reasoning
IV. The Balancing of Static and Evolutive Interpretation
V. A Stalemate Case

Erscheinungsdatum	19.04.2022
Reihe/Serie	Hart Studies in Constitutional Theory
Verlagsort	Oxford
Sprache	englisch
Maße	156 x 234 mm
Themenwelt	Recht / Steuern ► Allgemeines / Lexika
	Recht / Steuern ► EU / Internationales Recht
	Recht / Steuern ► Öffentliches Recht ► Verfassungsrecht
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
ISBN-10	1-5099-4691-8 / 1509946918
ISBN-13	978-1-5099-4691-4 / 9781509946914
Zustand	Neuware