54 research outputs found
Quando la cultura entra nell'aula giudiziaria: uno studio sulle argomentazioni dei giudici italiani
No full textRecentemente, la problematica dei "reati culturalmente motivati" è sempre più al centro di un vivace dibattito dottrinario. Gli studiosi finora si sono chiesti principalmente se fosse legittimo o meno attribuire rilievo giuridico alla cultura del soggetto autore del reato, quali fossero i limiti di questo riconoscimento e gli strumenti con cui attribuirlo. Ma qual è la risposta giudiziale al fenomeno? Come rispondono concretamente i giudici dinanzi all’istanza di riconoscimento culturale avanzata dall’imputato appartenente ad una minoranza culturale? Il presente contributo risponde a queste domande richiamando i risultati di uno studio empirico condotto su un campione di 68 casi italiani relativi a fattispecie di reati culturali. Ciò che emerge è una risposta giudiziale (e non solo) talvolta vaga e approssimativa, che tradisce le lacune della formazione giuridica (specialistica e non) in punto di gestione della diversità culturale
Popoli indigeni, legittimazione attiva e mixed governance in una recente sentenza della Corte Suprema namibiana
No full textIl caso deciso recentemente dalla Supreme Court namibiana prende avvio dal ricorso presentato da
8 membri della comunità indigena Hai||om che nel 2015 si sono rivolti alla High Court per essere autorizzati a
rappresentare in giudizio la propria comunità di appartenenza (necessario step preliminare per poter rivendicare il
diritto della popolazione indigena alla terra ancestrale). La sentenza non concerne solo la condizione di strutturale
marginalizzazione subita dagli Hai||om fin dal periodo precoloniale, ma anche il sistema di mixed governance
istituito dal governo namibiano con il Traditional Authorities Act 25 del 2000, che dispone la creazione e il
riconoscimento governativo di alcuni enti giuridici: le Autorità Tradizionali. Il ricorso viene rigettato dalla Corte
Suprema, che, tuttavia, esclude che l’Autorità Tradizionale degli Hai||om (HTA) abbia una legittimazione esclusiva
ad agire in giudizio per la comunità. Questa conclusione viene motivata sulla base del primato della Costituzione e
del potenziale conflitto di interessi della HTA, legata al governo da un rapporto di cooperazione, supporto e
dipendenza.The decision recently given by the Supreme Court of Namibia involves crucial issues concerning
the rights of indigenous peoples, and in particular, of one of Namibia’s ethnic groups, the Hai||om. The appellants
asked the Court to authorize them to bring civil claims on behalf of the Hai||om people. Such case touches upon
the Hai||om’s right to ancestral land and the marginalization they have experienced since the precolonial
dispossession. The judgment also discusses the mixed governance system set up by the Government of Namibia
with the Traditional Authorities Act 25 of 2000, which provides the governmental recognition of legal bodies called
Traditional Authorities. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of the applicants. However, the Court also held
that the Hai||om Traditional Authority (HTA) does not have exclusive competence to act in litigation for the
Hai||om community. The Court’s reasoning is based on the supremacy of the Namibian Constitution over the
common law and the potential conflict of interest of the HTA, which is required to enact governmental policies
and cooperate with the government
Una dottrina religiosa più rispettosa dell’eguaglianza di genere: un affare di stato oppure no? Riflessioni dall’analisi casistica e comparata
No full textDa qualche tempo, il tema dei rapporti tra eguaglianza di genere e
libertà religiosa è stato interessato da una nuova questione: spetta al diritto, e se sì, in
che misura, intervenire di fronte all’esclusione delle donne dal sacerdozio prevista da
alcune confessioni religiose? Questo contributo partecipa al dibattito attraverso
un’analisi comparata, portando all’attenzione la tutela del pluralismo e dell’identità
culturale oltre a ragioni di efficacia e di opportunità dell’intervento statale. I dati emersi
chiedono di tenere in considerazione la complessità del precetto religioso (e delle sue
interpretazioni), nonché la molteplicità di risposte che le donne, immerse in uno
specifico contesto sociale, economico, culturale, elaborano di fronte a questi precetti,
nella costruzione del proprio sé (religioso e non solo).A new question has enriched the issue of the relationship between
women’s equality and freedom of religion: if, and to what extent, should the law
intervene to tackle the exclusion of women from the decision-making, leadership and
ordained roles provided by many religions? This paper participates in the debate
adopting a comparative approach, which aims to bring to light the protection of
pluralism and cultural identities together with the efficacy and opportunity of the state
intervention. These elements ask to take into account on the one hand the complexity
of religious rules (and their interpretation) and, on the other hand, the multiplicity of
answers given by women to the religious precepts. These responses, which are essential
to build the (religious) self, depend on the specific social, economic and cultural
context in which women are situated
Il bilanciamento tra la libertà di espressione delle vittime di violenza sessuale e la tutela della reputazione dei presunti abusanti, ai tempi del #Me-too. La prospettiva della High Courtsudafricana nel caso Melvin Booysen and JuneDolly Major
No full textClaiming cultural diversity in courts. Exploring judicial strategies to elude the “cultural question” in Italy and the UK
No full textHow do judges manage cases of cultural diversity? What are the outcomes of their judgments and what arguments are posited to justify them? Is there any recurrence among the main arguments used by judges in different legal systems? In order to answer these questions, the article draws on
the results of socio-legal research aimed at identifying and analysing judicial reasoning (and
decisions) in cases from 1993 to 2013 where “cultural arguments” were pleaded by the
offender or raised by the judge, in Italian and English courtrooms. The article discusses the
outputs of the empirical research, highlighting the differences in the approach towards
diversity management in the Italian and English courtrooms. Italian judges reveal a limited
awareness of the complexity of cultural diversity, while English judges show uneasiness and
disorientation in managing the “cultural factor”. The different approaches notwithstanding,
results point to an interesting convergence: in the absence of policies and tools for managing
cultural diversity in the courtroom, Italian and English judges try avoid directly addressing
the “cultural question”
Questioning the Frontiers of Rights: The Case Law of the Italian Constitutional Court on Non-European Union Citizens' Social Rights
No full textThe issue of foreigners' entitlement to social rights evokes deep constitutional tensions. On the one hand, there is the egalitarian spirit of constitutions. On the other hand, there are legal systems in which paradigms such as citizenship, legal status or prolonged residence still represent the main criteria for accessing rights. How does the Italian Constitutional Court respond to this tension in adjudicating the welfare claims of migrants? Does it broaden non-nationals' access to social rights and, if so, what reasoning does it rely on? By analysing the constitutional jurisprudence on non-European Union citizens' social rights, this article aims to show the peculiar role of the Italian Court, its involvement in the governance of migration, its participation in reshaping the boundaries of the Italian community in the face of government decisions and the limitations of its intervention in this regard. This article will show how the Italian Constitutional Court has attempted to fulfil two intertwining mandates: to rule on issues which are key to migrants' rights and to define the relationship between the foreigner and the community in a more constitutionally oriented way
“Institutional uncertainty” as a technique of migration governance. A comparative legal perspective
No full textUncertainty can be regarded as one of the most distinctive traits of migration
processes. However, uncertainty is not only the result of a congeries of social, demographic
and economic factors (including social and cultural uprooting), but sometimes appears also to
be the product of governmental laws, policies and practices. Adopting a comparative approach,
this paper aims to analyse how, in Europe and beyond, migration policies and laws play a role
in fostering systemic and pervasive uncertainty, which permeates migrants’ entitlements to
rights and therefore affects their agency and life opportunities. Based on the concept of
“foreigners’ legal status”, uncertainty will be explored with reference to: a) the type of legal
status; b) the requirements for obtaining and/or withdrawing a legal status; and c) the rights
attached to a specific legal status. In order to conduct the analysis, the study will introduce
and rely upon a new heuristic framework: that of “institutional uncertainty”
L’ «altra Corte». Giustizia costituzionale e dissenso in prospettiva comparata: il caso sudafricano = The «Other Court». Constitutional Justice and Dissent in Comparative Perspective: The Case of South Africa
No full textThis article aims to explore the role of dissenting opinions in constitutional courts adopting a peculiar perspective: the view of the judge who dissents. Which are the most recurrent lines of argumentation used by dissenters? What is the idea about the law, the Constitution and theories of legal interpretation surrounding these opinions? What the dissenting opinion say about the internal equilibrium of the court? What is the portrait of judges and justice which is possible to extrapolate from the analysis of dissenting opinions? These questions will be answered by using the Constitutional Court of South Africa as a test case. Drawing upon the main findings of the comparative studies on constitutional justice, the articles analyses the separate opinions issued by Albie Sachs and Katie O’ Regan in the timeframe of their mandate (1995 – 2009). It finds that, despite a conspicuous number of dissents, constitutional reasoning appears quite cohesive with reference to the role of the court and constitutional judges, and to the way in which the Constitution should be read and implemented. Among the reasons explaining the South African paradox (where dissent serves unity) are not only the method of the decision-making process of the Court, but also the «transformative role» in which judges feel invested. By interpreting and applying the Constitution, they firmly believe they are contributing to the creation of a new legal and social order
Tightening Asylum and Migration Law and Narrowing the Access to European Countries: A Comparative Discussion
No full textThis chapter aims to explore and analyse the tangled interplay of political discourses, policies and legislations in the field of asylum and migration that runs across the countries under scrutiny (the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and the UK, hereinafter SIRIUS countries). Building on empirical evidence, we highlight some main trends registered across SIRIUS countries: the narrowing and slowing down of access to international protection that results from the recourse to push-back operations and the construction of fences, but also procedures provided by the EU asylum acquis, such as the accelerated procedure. This restraining tendency is even more acute in the field of economic-related migration, where in most of the SIRIUS countries legal entry channels are mostly reserved for those who are considered eligible due to their economic resources or talent, such as high-skilled workers, investors or rich entrepreneurs. These restrictive measures often rely on narratives that question the sincerity of the asylum claim, and criminalise migration and humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, legislative landscapes on migration and asylum are increasingly populated by symbolic laws, which downgrade foreigners’ rights and weaken standards. Their explicit aim is to dissuade migrants from coming to the country, while catering for natives’ fears and responding to domestic electoral consensus-building
Le corti e il diritto degli indigeni alla terra ancestrale: un'analisi comparata della giurisprudenza tra dialogo, mimesi e specialità
No full textThe paper aims to analyse the decisions on the land rights of indigenous peoples taken by some African courts (i.e., by the Constitutional Courts of Uganda and South Africa and by the High Court of Botswana), comparing them with the judgments issued on the same subject by the Canadian Supreme Court and the Australian High Court. By analysing the lines of argumentation adopted by these courts, this paper aims to capture phenomena of dialogue, contaminations and hybridizations. Indeed, in adjudicating on indigenous peoples’ land rights, the African courts referred to the decisions of their Australian and Canadian colleagues, and, to a certain extent, borrowed the reasoning developed by the latter on similar claims. However, at the same time, a relevant peculiarity marks the approach of African courts: the legal, conceptual and cultural status recognized to indigenous identities and customary laws, in a context of deep legal pluralism
- …
