Poland's Constitutional Breakdown

Poland's Constitutional Breakdown
Author: Wojciech Sadurski
Publisher:
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2019
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0198840500

Poland's anti-constitutional breakdown poses three questions that this book sets out to answer: What, exactly, has happened since 2015? Why did it happen? And what are the prospects for a return to liberal democracy?

Poland's Constitutional Breakdown

Poland's Constitutional Breakdown
Author: Wojciech Sadurski
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2019-05-16
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0192576968

Since 2015, Poland's populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) has been dismantling the major checks and balances of the Polish state and subordinating the courts, the civil service, and the media to the will of the executive. Political rights have been radically restricted, and the Party has captured the entire state apparatus. The speed and depth of these antidemocratic movements took many observers by surprise: until now, Poland was widely regarded as an example of a successful transitional democracy. Poland's anti-constitutional breakdown poses three questions that this book sets out to answer: What, exactly, has happened since 2015? Why did it happen? And what are the prospects for a return to liberal democracy? These answers are formulated against a backdrop of current worldwide trends towards populism, authoritarianism, and what is sometimes called 'illiberal democracy'. As this book argues, the Polish variant of 'illiberal democracy' is an oxymoron. By undermining the separation of powers, the PiS concentrates all power in its own hands, rendering any democratic accountability illusory. There is, however, no inevitability in these anti-democratic trends: this book considers a number of possible remedies and sources of hope, including intervention by the European Union.

Introduction to Polish Law

Introduction to Polish Law
Author: Stanis?aw Frankowski
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9041123318

During two decades encompassing three epochal events - the collapse of European communism in 1989, NATO membership in 1999, and accession to the European Union in 2004 - the legal system of Poland has emerged with remarkable maturity and stability. In an exemplary blend of its democratic heritage from the era between the World Wars, proven effective legislation from the communist era, and the vibrant 1997 Constitution, Polish law dramatically reflects new social, economic and political realities. With eleven lucid chapters written by fifteen academic experts from the Warsaw University School of Law and Administration, each in his or her respective field of law, this deeply informed but succinct and practical volume is the ideal starting point for research whenever a question of Polish law arises. The authors clearly explain the legal concepts, customs and rules surrounding such essential elements as the following:principles and practices of constitutional law;administrative law and procedure;civil procedure;courts and special judicial bodies;judicial review;enforcement of foreign judgments;family, succession and inheritance matters;formation and conduct of corporations and partnerships;contract formation, interpretation and termination; environmental protection;harmonizing Polish economic law with EU standards; competition law and regulatory framework of market processes; special regulation of energy, telecommunications and financial markets; copyrights, patents, utility models and industrial designs; licence agreements;the labour relationship and types of employment contracts; andcriminal law and procedure. Each chapter includes its own detailed bibliography. English-speaking legal practitioners and academics have here an ideal introduction to the basic institutions, principles and rules of Polish law. Encompassing all the major fields of legal practice, Introduction to Polish Law provides an essential understanding of the Polish legal system, so that users can become familiar with law and legal processes in Poland and pursue further research on specific Polish legal matters. Practitioners will find it of great value for both counselling and courtroom use.

National Constitutions in European and Global Governance: Democracy, Rights, the Rule of Law

National Constitutions in European and Global Governance: Democracy, Rights, the Rule of Law
Author: Anneli Albi
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 1522
Release: 2019-05-29
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9462652732

This two-volume book, published open access, brings together leading scholars of constitutional law from twenty-nine European countries to revisit the role of national constitutions at a time when decision-making has increasingly shifted to the European and transnational level. It offers important insights into three areas. First, it explores how constitutions reflect the transfer of powers from domestic to European and global institutions. Secondly, it revisits substantive constitutional values, such as the protection of constitutional rights, the rule of law, democratic participation and constitutional review, along with constitutional court judgments that tackle the protection of these rights and values in the transnational context, e.g. with regard to the Data Retention Directive, the European Arrest Warrant, the ESM Treaty, and EU and IMF austerity measures. The responsiveness of the ECJ regarding the above rights and values, along with the standard of protection, is also assessed. Thirdly, challenges in the context of global governance in relation to judicial review, democratic control and accountability are examined. On a broader level, the contributors were also invited to reflect on what has increasingly been described as the erosion or ‘twilight’ of constitutionalism, or a shift to a thin version of the rule of law, democracy and judicial review in the context of Europeanisation and globalisation processes. The national reports are complemented by a separately published comparative study, which identifies a number of broader trends and challenges that are shared across several Member States and warrant wider discussion. The research for this publication and the comparative study were carried out within the framework of the ERC-funded project ‘The Role and Future of National Constitutions in European and Global Governance’. The book is aimed at scholars, researchers, judges and legal advisors working on the interface between national constitutional law and EU and transnational law. The extradition cases are also of interest to scholars and practitioners in the field of criminal law. Anneli Albi is Professor of European Law at the University of Kent, United Kingdom. Samo Bardutzky is Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Defending Checks and Balances in EU Member States

Defending Checks and Balances in EU Member States
Author: Armin von Bogdandy
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 478
Release: 2021-01-05
Genre: Law
ISBN: 366262317X

This open access book deals with Article 7 TEU measures, court proceedings, financial sanctions and the EU Rule of Law Framework to protect EU values with a particular focus on checks and balances in EU Member States. It analyses substantive standards, powers, procedures as well as the consequences and implications of the various instruments. It combines the analysis of the European level, be it the EU or the Council of Europe, with that of the national level, in particular in Hungary and Poland. The LM judgment of the European Court of Justice is made subject to detailed scrutiny.

Rule of Law, Common Values, and Illiberal Constitutionalism

Rule of Law, Common Values, and Illiberal Constitutionalism
Author: Tímea Drinóczi
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2020-09-08
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1000172430

This book challenges the idea that the Rule of Law is still a universal European value given its relatively rapid deterioration in Hungary and Poland, and the apparent inability of the European institutions to adequately address the illiberalization of these Member States. The book begins from the general presumption that the Rule of Law, since its emergence, has been a universal European value, a political ideal and legal conception. It also acknowledges that the EU has been struggling in the area of value enforcement, even if the necessary mechanisms are available and, given an innovative outlook and more political commitment, could be successfully used. The authors appreciate the different approaches toward the Rule of Law, both as a concept and as a measurable indicator, and while addressing the core question of the volume, widely rely on them. Ultimately, the book provides a snapshot of how the Rule of Law ideal has been dismantled and offers a theory of the Rule of Law in illiberal constitutionalism. It discusses why voters keep illiberal populist leaders in power when they are undeniably acting contrary to the Rule of Law ideal. The book will be of interest to academics and researchers engaged with the foundational questions of constitutionalism. The structure and nature of the subject matter covered ensure that the book will be a useful addition for comparative and national constitutional law classes. It will also appeal to legal practitioners wondering about the boundaries of the Rule of Law.

The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland

The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland
Author: M. Brzezinski
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 268
Release: 1997-10-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 0230508626

This first time in paperback is the best comprehensive examination of the development of constitutionalism in Poland. In particular, this book examines Poland's long-term constitutional history, the adoption of a new constitutional framework after 1989, and the establishment of structures and procedures designed to institutionalize enduring respect for constitutional rules and principles. Notwithstanding continuing challenges in Poland, the groundwork for constitutionalism based on notions of limited government and reflective of European constitutional norms has emerged from the collapse of the communist system of power.

Revolutionary Constitutions

Revolutionary Constitutions
Author: Bruce Ackerman
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 473
Release: 2019-05-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0674238842

A robust defense of democratic populism by one of America’s most renowned and controversial constitutional scholars—the award-winning author of We the People. Populism is a threat to the democratic world, fuel for demagogues and reactionary crowds—or so its critics would have us believe. But in his award-winning trilogy We the People, Bruce Ackerman showed that Americans have repeatedly rejected this view. Now he draws on a quarter century of scholarship in this essential and surprising inquiry into the origins, successes, and threats to revolutionary constitutionalism around the world. He takes us to India, South Africa, Italy, France, Poland, Burma, Israel, and Iran and provides a blow-by-blow account of the tribulations that confronted popular movements in their insurgent campaigns for constitutional democracy. Despite their many differences, populist leaders such as Nehru, Mandela, and de Gaulle encountered similar dilemmas at critical turning points, and each managed something overlooked but essential. Rather than deploy their charismatic leadership to retain power, they instead used it to confer legitimacy to the citizens and institutions of constitutional democracy. Ackerman returns to the United States in his last chapter to provide new insights into the Founders’ acts of constitutional statesmanship as they met very similar challenges to those confronting populist leaders today. In the age of Trump, the democratic system of checks and balances will not survive unless ordinary citizens rally to its defense. Revolutionary Constitutions shows how activists can learn from their predecessors’ successes and profit from their mistakes, and sets up Ackerman’s next volume, which will address how elites and insiders co-opt and destroy the momentum of revolutionary movements.

Constitutional Law in Poland

Constitutional Law in Poland
Author: Agnieszka Bień-Kacała
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2021-04-20
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9403533013

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this very useful analysis of constitutional law in Poland provides essential information on the country’s sources of constitutional law, its form of government, and its administrative structure. Lawyers who handle transnational matters will appreciate the clarifications of particular terminology and its application. Throughout the book, the treatment emphasizes the specific points at which constitutional law affects the interpretation of legal rules and procedure. Thorough coverage by a local expert fully describes the political system, the historical background, the role of treaties, legislation, jurisprudence, and administrative regulations. The discussion of the form and structure of government outlines its legal status, the jurisdiction and workings of the central state organs, the subdivisions of the state, its decentralized authorities, and concepts of citizenship. Special issues include the legal position of aliens, foreign relations, taxing and spending powers, emergency laws, the power of the military, and the constitutional relationship between church and state. Details are presented in such a way that readers who are unfamiliar with specific terms and concepts in varying contexts will fully grasp their meaning and significance. Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable time-saving tool for both practising and academic jurists. Lawyers representing parties with interests in Poland will welcome this guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative constitutional law.