scholarly journals Invalidity and Retrospectivity under the Irish and Canadian Constitutions

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (1, 2 & 3) ◽  
pp. 2006
Author(s):  
Ailbhe O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Constitutional Interpretation ◽  
Temporal Effect ◽  
The Supreme Court

The question of the temporal effect of a finding that a statute is unconstitutional has arisen in a number of common law jurisdictions. In any legal system that allows its superior courts to strike down legislation, certain practical problems will inevitably emerge. This article explains this aspect of Irish constitutional interpretation and compares the manner in which these difficulties have been addressed under the Canadian and Irish constitutions. It notes that the Supreme Court of Canada was required to address these practical problems directly at an early stage and thus developed a more doctrinally coherent approach to findings of constitutional invalidity than the Irish Supreme Court. The article goes on to analyze a recent decision of the Irish Supreme Court that has highlighted the difficulties with the approach adopted in that legal system and concludes with some reflections on the relative merits of the Canadian approach to findings of invalidity.

The Effect of a Finding That Legislation is Unconstitutional: The Approach of the Irish Supreme Court

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-230
Author(s):  
Ailbhe O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Ab Initio ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Constitutional Interpretation ◽  
Temporal Effect ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Legal Effect ◽  
Problematic Aspect ◽  
The Way

A number of common law jurisdictions permit the judiciary to strike down legislation which is inconsistent with that legal system's constitution. The Irish Constitution makes specific provision for this in Article 34.3.2°. The power to declare legislation invalid gives rise to a number of interesting questions concerning the temporal effect of such decisions. In Ireland, the courts have consistently adopted an approach whereby incompatible legislation which postdates the 1937 Constitution is deemed to have been void ab initio. Incompatible legislation originally passed by the British Parliament before 1937 is deemed not to have survived in Irish law from the date of the adoption of the Constitution. This gives rise to interesting issues surrounding the effect of past legal determinations which were based on such legislation. This problematic aspect of constitutional interpretation was considered at length by the Irish Supreme Court in the case of A v The Governor of Arbour Hill Prison (the ‘ A case’) in July 2006. This article explains the approach taken by the Irish courts to this aspect of constitutional interpretation and analyses the way in which the problem of legal effect was approached by the Supreme Court in the A case.

scholarly journals A Triumph of Liberalism: The Supreme Court of Canada and the Exclusion of Evidence

1969 ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julianne Parfett
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Causal Connection ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Cost

The common law has historically defined self- incrimination narrowly. Using Packer's models of the criminal justice system as a framework, the article examines the Supreme Court of Canada's interpretations of s. 24(2) of the Charter. The Court has expanded the definitions of both self incrimination and remoteness. The author argues that s. 24(2) has ceased to be a remedy requiring the balancing of interests and has become a quasi- automatic rule of exclusion, which promotes individual rights at the cost of victim's rights. Further, in the Court's zeal to protect the integrity of the system, there is no allowance made for the seriousness of the breach, the consequences of the exclusion, or the causal connection between the breach and any evidence obtained. The author argues that this has resulted in a justice system more concerned with police behaviour than with the pursuit of truth. Instead, either the exclusionary rule must be used to foster a balance of individual and communitarian rights, or other more imaginative remedies should be crafted from s. 24(2) to protect the integrity of the legal system.

Nevsun Resources Ltd. v. Araya et al. (S.C.C.)

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 747-810
Author(s):  
Russell Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
International Law ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Customary International Law ◽  
The Supreme Court

In a judgment delivered on February 28, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada held (by majority, 7–2) that Canadian common law does not contain an all-encompassing doctrine of non-justiciability based on foreign acts of state; and (by a narrower majority, 5–4) that alleged breaches of customary international law (CIL) arguably provide a novel cause of action in tort. The court held that claims against a Canadian mining corporation related to alleged violations at a mine in Eritrea could proceed to trial.

Revisiting pure economic loss: lessons to be learnt from the Supreme Court of Canada?

Legal Studies ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Giliker
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Pure Economic Loss ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Common ◽  
Difficult Area

This article examines the treatment of pure economic loss claims in England and Canada. The two jurisdictions have much in common. Starting from the same case sources, the common law of each system has struggled to deal with claims for negligently-incurred pure economic loss. Yet, the systems diverged in the 1990s when the Canadian Supreme Court refused to follow the lead of Murphy v Brentwood DC and reiterated its adherence to the Anns two-stage test. It is submitted that, in view of recent developments which suggest the gradual convergence of the two systems, English law should carefully examine the categorisation approach adopted by the Canadian courts. The current English position is far from clear, and the Canadian model is capable of bringing transparency and greater clarity to this difficult area of law.

Innovation in a Hybrid System: The Example of Nepal

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Lukas Heckendorn Urscheler
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Hybrid System ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Legal Tradition ◽  
Legal Standards ◽  
The Supreme Court

The Nepali legal tradition is a legal hybrid in many regards. Nepal was not colonised by a Western state, and the Hindu legal tradition therefore dominated all areas of law until the middle of the 20th century. Since the 1950s there has been a strong influence of Indian common law. It is probably for this reason that comparative classifications that include Nepal see the legal system as a mixture of common law and customary law. However, other mixtures mark the Nepali legal tradition. French law inspired the ruler in the 19th century, and that influence can still be found in the formal law. In addition, the plurality of Nepalese society made it necessary to provide space for different customary regimes to coexist with the formal Hindu law. When it comes to innovations within the legal system, including international law, the different ingredients interact.In family-related matters, the case-law of the Nepali Supreme Court illustrates the confrontation between international legal standards and the traditional rules. The Supreme Court has referred to the culturally conditioned discrimination against women and called for a thorough (political) analysis in order to eliminate discrimination without a radical change of culture. In the area of discrimination against homo- and transsexuals the Supreme Court took a more innovative approach. It remains to be seen, however, if such a change is effective beyond the courtroom.In the area of private financial compensation for wrongs, the formal (written) Nepali law does not have a general concept of tort. Compensation is generally integrated within the ambit of criminal law. Field research indicates that it would be possible to resort to existing customary principles of compensation rather than to the relatively complex common law of torts favoured by some Nepali scholars. However, this approach might not be without difficulty, as it might imply admitting the “superiority” of the customary practices of ethnic groups of lower standing in society.The example of Nepal shows that innovation in a hybrid system is often marked by the difficulty of – at least apparently – contradictory elements and layers of the legal system. There might be a tendency towards choosing the dominant or the most easily accessible solution. This paper suggests that the hybrid nature of the legal system offers opportunities that could be taken in order to achieve effective change and appropriate solutions.

scholarly journals The Principle of Good Faith in Contractual Performance: A Scottish-Canadian Comparison

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-331
Author(s):  
Hector MacQueen ◽  
Shannon O'Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Common

In 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada in Bhasin v Hrynew formally but cautiously acknowledged good faith as a general organising principle of contractual performance at common law and that the principle largely manifests by way of implied terms and through the new duty of honesty. Rejecting English recalcitrance on the subject, the SCC concluded that recognising a good faith principle makes the common law less unsettled and piecemeal, more coherent and just. The article suggests that the limitations placed on the good faith principle by the SCC make its potential adoption in Scotland offer more opportunity than risk, especially in relation to the exercise of contractual discretions and contractual remedies.

scholarly journals Equitable Compensation for Breach by Fact-Based Fiduciaries: Tentative Thoughts on Clarifying Remedial Goals

1969 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Jeff Berryman
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Punitive Damages ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Breach Of Contract ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
The Common

The Supreme Court of Canada has purported to distinguish the approach to quantifying equitable compensation from that applied to the quantification of damages in common law for breach of contract or tort. In particular, the rules associated with causation and remoteness and the application of evidential presumptions has dominated this discourse. In this comment the author suggests that these distinctions are adding to conceptual muddling of the fiduciary relationship and that it would be better for the court to embrace totally the sophisticated analytical rules of the common law rather than recreate new rules in equity. Further, he argues that the distinctive features of the fiduciary relationship would be better recognized through the application of punitive damages rather than the distortion of compensation principles.

scholarly journals The Eve Decision — A Common Law Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 657-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward W. Keyserlingk
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Medical Procedures ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Mentally Disabled ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Parens Patriae ◽  
The Law ◽  
Do So

By its decision in the Eve case, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified and settled the law in at least two important respects. From now on, provincial statutes can only be used to authorize guardians to permit involuntary contraceptive sterilizations if their wording clearly and explicitly so provides. The Prince Edward Island statute in question did not do so. Secondly, though the Court's parens patriae jurisdiction is of unlimited scope and does extend to cases involving medical procedures, it cannot serve as the basis for authorizing non-therapeutic sterilizations. By ruling out the applicability of parens patriae, and by insisting that judges are not able to deal adequately with such cases, the Supreme Court may have strengthened the case for new legislation in this area. The writer argues that such legislation should provide for access to contraceptive sterilization for the mentally disabled, and the needed safeguards to protect those unable to consent or refuse from the imposition of sterilization in the interests of parties other than themselves.

Horizontal Effect and Caboose Constitutionalism

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jud Mathews
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Protective Action ◽  
Private Law ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Private Party ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
The Common

This chapter picks up the story where the previous chapter left off, showing how the Supreme Court of Canada initially made a show of rejecting the application of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to private law relationships in Dolphin Delivery. But at the same time, the Court left itself room to interpret the common law to comport with Charter values. In the years since, litigants have pressed the Court to use this power to meet their normative demands, and the Court has done so on many occasions. At the same time, the Court has showed solicitude for legislative initiatives, often using the Charter to shape private-party obligations to one other only after the legislature has taken some rights-protective action in that area, in a strategy that might be called caboose constitutionalism.

scholarly journals Self-Defence and Consent: The Use of Common Law Developments in Canadian Criminal Code Analysis

1994 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 484
Author(s):  
M. Anne Stalker
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Criminal Code ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Code Analysis ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Canadian Criminal Code ◽  
The Common ◽  
Court Of Appeal ◽  
Self Defence

The author examines the interaction between the Criminal Code and the common law in relation to two areas of law recently handled by both the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada

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