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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.
List of contents
Part I: Courts and Democracy;
1. Democracy and Courts beyond the Ideological Banality;
2. Disempowering courts: The Interrelationship between Courts and Politics in Contemporary Legal Orders or the manifold ways of attacking judicial independence;
Part II: Courts and Their Relationship with Legislative and Executive Power;
3. Courts and Legislation: Do Legislators and Judges Speak the Same Language?;
4. Text, Values and Interpretation: The Role of Judges and Legislative Power in Private Law;
5. Supreme courts in Sweden: are they "real" judges?
6. From Separation of Powers to Superiority of Rights: the Italian Constitutional Court and End-of-Life Decisions;
Part III: Courts, Constitution-Making, and the Separation between Constituent and Constituted Powers;
7. The Negative Legislator: On Kelsen’s Idea of a Constitutional Court;
8. Constitutional Courts as Ultimate Players in Multilevel Constituent Power Games: the Bulgarian Case;
9. Courts in the Constitution-making process: Paradoxes and Justifications;
10. The Least Dangerous Branch? Constitutional Review of Constitutional Amendments in Europe;
Part IV: The Role of Courts in the Context of Democratic Backsliding, Illiberal Democracies and Populist Constitutionalism;
11. Constitutional Courts in the Context of Constitutional Regression. Some Comparative Remarks;
12. The Use of the EU Infringement Procedures to Protect De Facto the Rule of Law via the Development of the Parameter: From Obligations under the Treaties to the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
About the author
Dr Martin Belov is Associate Professor in Constitutional and Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Sofia ‘St Kliment Ohridski’, Faculty of Law. He is also Vice Dean of the same law faculty. In addition, he has been a project researcher at Max-Planck Institute for European Legal History (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) and a visiting researcher at the Institute for Federalism (Fribourg, Switzerland). He has specialized at the University of Oxford, UK; Max- Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, Germany; University of Cologne, Germany; and many other European academic institutions.
Summary
This book examines how the judicialization of politics, and the politicization of courts, affect representative democracy, rule of law and separation of powers.
