Eszter Bodnar | Eötvös Loránd University (original) (raw)
Papers by Eszter Bodnar
University of British Columbia law review, 2021
Eszter Bodnar. “A ‘Comparative Constitutional Powerhouse’ in Action: An Empirical Study of the Su... more Eszter Bodnar. “A ‘Comparative Constitutional Powerhouse’ in Action: An Empirical Study of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Use of Comparative Law Based on Interviews and Case Citations.” University of British Columbia law review 54, no. 2 (2021): 353–402.
As a result of the development of technology, transport, and the increase in political, economic,... more As a result of the development of technology, transport, and the increase in political, economic, cultural and legal connections, by the 21 st century the world had become more integrated than ever before. This also affects constitutional law, which today is not merely a national issue for states but rather a global field with many interrelations. Comparative constitutional law is applied during the processes of constitution-making and legislation, where best practices are sought. Judges in domestic courts have a judicial dialogue with their colleagues abroad and look at foreign judgements to improve their legal reasoning. To help these developments, constitutional scholars use often a comparative approach in their works and, to better understand their own constitutional system, they compare it with other states' solutions. Alongside dealing with single constitutional law questions from a comparative point of view, it is essential to study the constitutional system of a country also in its entirety, analyzing its historical roots, rules and practice. The international conference entitled 'What can Central and Eastern Europe learn from the development of Canada's constitutional system?' was one of the events where we tried to make a step in this direction. The conference, held at the ELTE Faculty of Law on 28 June 2017, with the kind support of the Embassy of Canada to Hungary, convened a group of scholars to reflect on the history and evolution of the Constitution of Canada, on its written and unwritten dimensions and on its influence abroad. The occasion of the conference was Canada's 150 th anniversary of Confederation. The Constitution Act of 1867, which is still forming part of the Constitution of Canada, was ratified that year on 1 July. This special volume of the ELTE Law Journal contains the written versions of some of the presentations. After the words of greeting from Isabelle Poupart, Canada's Ambassador to Hungary and Attila Menyhárd, Dean of the ELTE Faculty of Law, the two Canadian keynote speakers give their overview on the history and current state of the Canadian constitutionalism. Jeremy Webber's standpoint is that Canada has an agonistic constitution, based on the coexistence
Iuris Dictio, 2016
Iuris Dictio, vol. 18 (2016), 153-164. At first sight, the transparency and openness of the judic... more Iuris Dictio, vol. 18 (2016), 153-164. At first sight, the transparency and openness of the judicial system does not seem to be a particularly current topic. The most important international human rights documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the American Convention on Human Rights guarantee due process (right to a fair trial), including the element of the right to a public trial. In addition, trials have been public throughout previous centuries. As a consequence, the question may be raised whether it is really necessary to deal with the transparency and openness of courts in scientific research. In my paper, I attempt to justify this statement. First, I present the new levels and new elements of the transparency and openness of courts opposite the publicness of the trial. Next, I collect the new arguments for and against the transparency and openness of courts, which arose in the 20th and 21st century. Finally, I enlist some examples where transparency and openness mean a challenge for the courts, legislature, media or general public.
Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies
Courts conducting constitutional review do not work as ‘ivory towers’ any longer: they are part o... more Courts conducting constitutional review do not work as ‘ivory towers’ any longer: they are part of the global dialogue on constitutional ideas and thoughts. This dialogue includes an exchange of experiences with fellow constitutional and apex courts, as well as the close observation of developments in foreign constitutional and legal systems, scholarship, and international trends. The Constitutional Court of Hungary has been an active participant in this dialogue since the Court's establishment in 1989, albeit with varying levels of intensity and goals. Moving beyond the often anecdotal observations in this field, the paper aims to conduct a deep analysis of how the Court uses comparative law in its work (during the preparatory phase and the drafting of final decisions) and examines the factors that may influence the Court's practice in this area. Such a clear overview can assist proponents of the use of comparative reasoning to contravene the increasing amount of criticism ...
Romanian Journal of Comparative Law, 2019
The Invisible Factors Behind Using Comparative Law in Constitutional Adjudication. Romanian Journ... more The Invisible Factors Behind Using Comparative Law in Constitutional Adjudication. Romanian Journal of Comparative Law, 2019/1, 201-226.
Abstract
Courts dealing with constitutional issues are often using comparative law when fulfilling their functions: they refer to foreign law or at least consult comparative material. The scope and form of the use of comparative law is different at the different courts and there are severe criticisms about the lack of methodology. These phenomena be explained by the judges’ and courts’ different aims when
using comparative law, and by the different factors that influence them when deciding in which cases, in which forms, and which jurisdictions’ law they consult or refer to. However, most of these aims and factors are invisible and therefore unveiling them demands complex research methods. The understanding of these aims and factors can help scholars to prepare methodological standpoints for judges to support them in avoiding misuse of comparative law and ‘cherrypicking’,
and through this strengthening the legitimacy of the courts.
Keywords: comparative law; judicial dialogue; constitutional adjudication;
citation; horizontal communication; methodology
Eszter Bodnár - Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz - Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy: Hungary, in Albert, Richard a... more Eszter Bodnár - Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz - Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy: Hungary, in Albert, Richard and Landau, David and Faraguna, Pietro and Drugda, Šimon, I·CONnect-Clough Center 2018 Global Review of Constitutional Law (October 18, 2019). The I·CONnect-Clough Center 2018 Global Review of Constitutional Law. ISBN: 978-0-692-15916-3
ELTE Eötvös Kiadó, 2018
In Menyhárd Attila - Varga István: 350 éves az Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem Állam- és Jogtudomán... more In Menyhárd Attila - Varga István: 350 éves az Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem Állam- és Jogtudományi Kara. A jubileumi év konferenciasorozatának tanulmányai. ELTE Eötvös Kiadó 2018
ELTE Law Journal, 2017
The judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, the highest court of the country dealing also with con... more The judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, the highest court of the country dealing also with constitutional matters, are appointed by the executive power. However, in October 2016, a new process was applied for the first time. It was not incorporated into the Supreme Court Act but remained rather a policy. It contained new elements including an independent and non-partisan advisory board preparing for the Prime Minister a shortlist of candidates, and two public hearings: one of the Minister of Justice and the Chair of the Advisory Board to explain the selection process for the MPs, and one of the candidates to answer questions of parliamentarians. The Government’s communicated intent was to ensure a more transparent, inclusive, and accountable process. However, the new process was criticized by several authors because of its redundancies.
This paper aims to examine the Canadian selection process from multiple points of view. First, it gives a theoretical background of the constitutional principles that are relevant to the selection of supreme court judges and identifies the relevant international (soft law) requirements. Second, it analyses the current Canadian process and its realization taking also the historical aspects into account. Third, it gives a comparative constitutional law analysis: it compares the Canadian system with regulation and practice of the United States of America and several European countries. Finally, the paper seeks an answer to the question of what elements can optimise the process of selecting supreme court judges in a constitutional democracy.
Fundamentum, 2018
The article studies jurisprudence on voting rights. The Hungarian Constitutional Court is suppose... more The article studies jurisprudence on voting rights. The Hungarian
Constitutional Court is supposed to have a pivotal role in defending the right to vote. However, as they show in their study, the recent case law of the court between 2014 and 2018 questions that it would be willing to carry out this task. The analysis shows that both at the admissibility stage and when deciding on the merits there are failures that lead to the insufficient
protection of the right. In the study, the authors endeavor to highlight the most important charac teristics and flaws of the case-law focusing on the period between the elections held in 2014 and 2018, thus providing an opportunity for the fluid case-law to stabilize and consolidate in a manner that is in line with the constitutional task of the body.
Eszter Bodnár, Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz, Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy Hungary: The State of Liberal D... more Eszter Bodnár, Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz, Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy
Hungary: The State of Liberal Democracy
In: Albert Richard, Landau David, Faraguna Pietro, Drugda Šimon (szerk.)
2017 Global Review of Constitutional Law. 330 p.
Boston (MA): ICONnect-Clough Center, 2018. pp. 129-133.
(ISBN:978-0-692-15916-3)
BODNÁR Eszter: „Választójog” in JAKAB András – FEKETE Balázs (szerk.): Internetes Jogtudományi En... more BODNÁR Eszter: „Választójog” in JAKAB András – FEKETE Balázs (szerk.): Internetes Jogtudományi Enciklopédia (Alkotmányjog rovat, rovatszerkesztő: BODNÁR Eszter, JAKAB András) http://ijoten.hu/szocikk/alkotmanyjog-valasztojog (2016).
Eszter Bodnár - Benedek Varsányi: Decision of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Exercise ... more Eszter Bodnár - Benedek Varsányi: Decision of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Exercise of the Right to Vote of Hungarian Citizens Living Abroad. In: Hungarian Yearbook of International Law and European Law 2017.
Bodnár Eszter: A Velencei Bizottság választási ajánlásainak érvényesülése a magyar szabályozásban... more Bodnár Eszter: A Velencei Bizottság választási ajánlásainak érvényesülése a magyar szabályozásban és bírósági gyakorlatban. Jogtudományi Közlöny 2018/3.
Az Európa Tanács Velencei Bizottsága aktív szerepet játszik Európa választási standardjainak kialakításában. E tevékenysége során általános ajánlásként fogadta el Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters című dokumentumot, és az egyes országok választási törvényeit egyedi véleményekben méri az ebben megfogalmazott elvárásokhoz. E soft law követelmények kötelező jogi erővel nem, de jelentős politikai autoritással bírnak, és mivel a bíróságok (mind nemzeti, mind nemzetközi szinten) egyre inkább felhasználják a dokumentumot a választási alapelvek értelmezéséhez, közvetetten kikényszeríthetővé is válnak. Magyarországnak az Európa Tanács és a Velencei Bizottság tagjaként figyelemmel kell lennie ezekre az elvárásokra a választási szabályozás és gyakorlat kialakításakor.
Bodnár Eszter - Mécs János: Az alkotmányjogi panasz szerepe a választójog védelmében MTA Law Work... more Bodnár Eszter - Mécs János: Az alkotmányjogi panasz szerepe a választójog védelmében
MTA Law Working Papers 2018/3.
A tanulmány az alkotmányjogi panasz választójog védelmében betöltött szerepét vizsgálja. Az első részben a védett alapjog sajátosságait vizsgáljuk, a választójogot kettős természetűnek tekintve, amely kiemelkedő szerepet játszik a demokratikus hatalomgyakorlás megvalósulásában, ezáltal pedig speciális védelmet és megközelítést igényel. A tanulmány második részében általában a védelem eszközeivel foglalkozunk, kiemelve az alkotmányjogi panaszt, amelynek jelentősége a választójoggal összefüggő indítványok számában is megnyilvánul. A választási eljárás speciális szabályaival kiegészülve az alkotmányjogi panasz funkciója, hogy gyors és hatékony védelmet nyújtson a választójog megsértése esetén. Ezt követően a választójoggal összefüggő panaszok tényleges érvényesülését vizsgáljuk a választási eljárási törvény hatálybalépését követően, vizsgálva valamennyi panasztípust. Az Alkotmánybíróság legújabb gyakorlata alapján kijelenthető, hogy az alkotmányjogi panasz a vizsgált időszakban nem töltött be olyan fontos szerepet a választójog védelmében, mint amit a szabályozási környezet, illetve az alapjoghoz kapcsolódó szubjektív és objektív jogvédelmi igény indokolt volna. Ez részben a befogadási gyakorlatra vezethető vissza; habár a panaszok jelentős részében megalapozott volt a visszautasítás, néhány esetben indokolt és fontos lett volna az érdemi elbírálás, és ezzel összefüggésben az érintettség tágabb értelmezése. Az, hogy az alkotmányjogi panasz nem, vagy csak részben tudta alapjogvédelmi funkcióját betölteni, a befogadási gyakorlat mellett az érdemi határozatoknak is felróható. Ennek kiemelt példája a győzteskompenzációt vizsgáló, valamint a levélben szavazást elbíráló érdemi határozat. Tanulmányunk mind a befogadási gyakorlattal, mind az érdemi döntésekkel szemben kritikát fogalmaz meg.
Bodnár Eszter - Szalbot Balázs: A konkrét utólagos normakontroll és az alkotmányjogi panasz eljár... more Bodnár Eszter - Szalbot Balázs: A konkrét utólagos normakontroll és az alkotmányjogi panasz eljárások összefüggései.
MTA Law Working Papers 2018/2.
A tanulmány a konkrét utólagos normakontroll hatáskört elemzi, bemutatva annak alkotmányjogi panaszokkal való kapcsolatát is. A konkrét utólagos normakontroll sajátosságainak számbavétele során nemcsak az alkotmánybírósági döntésekből kiolvasható értelmezést vizsgáljuk, hanem a Kúria Önkormányzati Tanácsának gyakorlatát is, hiszen 2012. január 1-je óta a bíró már a Kúria Önkormányzati Tanácsánál is kezdeményezhet konkrét utólagos normakontrollt. Az elemzés során az elbíráló szervek gyakorlatán túl az indítványozók, azaz a bírók hatásköri értelmezését is bemutatjuk, a két megközelítés ugyanis nem minden esetben fedi egymást. A tanulmány részletesen elemzi a konkrét utólagos normakontroll jellegét, indítványozói körét, az indítvány tárgyát, tartalmát, címzettjét, illetve jogkövetkezményeit. Az egyes hatásköri elemek bemutatása során minden esetben párhuzamot vonunk az alkotmányjogi panaszokkal, illetve kritikát fogalmazunk meg mind a jogalkotóval, mind a jogalkalmazóval szemben. Tanulmányunk végén összefoglaljuk a jogalkotónak, illetve a bíróságoknak és az Alkotmánybíróságnak címzett főbb megállapításainkat.
Eszter Bodnár: Reflections in the Practice of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Changes o... more Eszter Bodnár: Reflections in the Practice of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Changes of its Competences. In: Oesten Baller, Burkhard Breig (ed.): Justiz in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Berliner Wisschenschafts-Verlag, 2017.
Bodnár Eszter: Hogyan válasszunk alkotmánybírót? Egy jó gyakorlat Kanadából. In: Chronowski, N., ... more Bodnár Eszter: Hogyan válasszunk alkotmánybírót? Egy jó gyakorlat Kanadából. In: Chronowski, N., Pozsár-Szentmiklósy Z., Smuk, P., Szabó, Zs.: A szabadságszerető embernek. Liber Amicorum István Kukorelli. Gondolat Kiadó, 2017. 419-428.
University of British Columbia law review, 2021
Eszter Bodnar. “A ‘Comparative Constitutional Powerhouse’ in Action: An Empirical Study of the Su... more Eszter Bodnar. “A ‘Comparative Constitutional Powerhouse’ in Action: An Empirical Study of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Use of Comparative Law Based on Interviews and Case Citations.” University of British Columbia law review 54, no. 2 (2021): 353–402.
As a result of the development of technology, transport, and the increase in political, economic,... more As a result of the development of technology, transport, and the increase in political, economic, cultural and legal connections, by the 21 st century the world had become more integrated than ever before. This also affects constitutional law, which today is not merely a national issue for states but rather a global field with many interrelations. Comparative constitutional law is applied during the processes of constitution-making and legislation, where best practices are sought. Judges in domestic courts have a judicial dialogue with their colleagues abroad and look at foreign judgements to improve their legal reasoning. To help these developments, constitutional scholars use often a comparative approach in their works and, to better understand their own constitutional system, they compare it with other states' solutions. Alongside dealing with single constitutional law questions from a comparative point of view, it is essential to study the constitutional system of a country also in its entirety, analyzing its historical roots, rules and practice. The international conference entitled 'What can Central and Eastern Europe learn from the development of Canada's constitutional system?' was one of the events where we tried to make a step in this direction. The conference, held at the ELTE Faculty of Law on 28 June 2017, with the kind support of the Embassy of Canada to Hungary, convened a group of scholars to reflect on the history and evolution of the Constitution of Canada, on its written and unwritten dimensions and on its influence abroad. The occasion of the conference was Canada's 150 th anniversary of Confederation. The Constitution Act of 1867, which is still forming part of the Constitution of Canada, was ratified that year on 1 July. This special volume of the ELTE Law Journal contains the written versions of some of the presentations. After the words of greeting from Isabelle Poupart, Canada's Ambassador to Hungary and Attila Menyhárd, Dean of the ELTE Faculty of Law, the two Canadian keynote speakers give their overview on the history and current state of the Canadian constitutionalism. Jeremy Webber's standpoint is that Canada has an agonistic constitution, based on the coexistence
Iuris Dictio, 2016
Iuris Dictio, vol. 18 (2016), 153-164. At first sight, the transparency and openness of the judic... more Iuris Dictio, vol. 18 (2016), 153-164. At first sight, the transparency and openness of the judicial system does not seem to be a particularly current topic. The most important international human rights documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the American Convention on Human Rights guarantee due process (right to a fair trial), including the element of the right to a public trial. In addition, trials have been public throughout previous centuries. As a consequence, the question may be raised whether it is really necessary to deal with the transparency and openness of courts in scientific research. In my paper, I attempt to justify this statement. First, I present the new levels and new elements of the transparency and openness of courts opposite the publicness of the trial. Next, I collect the new arguments for and against the transparency and openness of courts, which arose in the 20th and 21st century. Finally, I enlist some examples where transparency and openness mean a challenge for the courts, legislature, media or general public.
Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies
Courts conducting constitutional review do not work as ‘ivory towers’ any longer: they are part o... more Courts conducting constitutional review do not work as ‘ivory towers’ any longer: they are part of the global dialogue on constitutional ideas and thoughts. This dialogue includes an exchange of experiences with fellow constitutional and apex courts, as well as the close observation of developments in foreign constitutional and legal systems, scholarship, and international trends. The Constitutional Court of Hungary has been an active participant in this dialogue since the Court's establishment in 1989, albeit with varying levels of intensity and goals. Moving beyond the often anecdotal observations in this field, the paper aims to conduct a deep analysis of how the Court uses comparative law in its work (during the preparatory phase and the drafting of final decisions) and examines the factors that may influence the Court's practice in this area. Such a clear overview can assist proponents of the use of comparative reasoning to contravene the increasing amount of criticism ...
Romanian Journal of Comparative Law, 2019
The Invisible Factors Behind Using Comparative Law in Constitutional Adjudication. Romanian Journ... more The Invisible Factors Behind Using Comparative Law in Constitutional Adjudication. Romanian Journal of Comparative Law, 2019/1, 201-226.
Abstract
Courts dealing with constitutional issues are often using comparative law when fulfilling their functions: they refer to foreign law or at least consult comparative material. The scope and form of the use of comparative law is different at the different courts and there are severe criticisms about the lack of methodology. These phenomena be explained by the judges’ and courts’ different aims when
using comparative law, and by the different factors that influence them when deciding in which cases, in which forms, and which jurisdictions’ law they consult or refer to. However, most of these aims and factors are invisible and therefore unveiling them demands complex research methods. The understanding of these aims and factors can help scholars to prepare methodological standpoints for judges to support them in avoiding misuse of comparative law and ‘cherrypicking’,
and through this strengthening the legitimacy of the courts.
Keywords: comparative law; judicial dialogue; constitutional adjudication;
citation; horizontal communication; methodology
Eszter Bodnár - Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz - Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy: Hungary, in Albert, Richard a... more Eszter Bodnár - Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz - Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy: Hungary, in Albert, Richard and Landau, David and Faraguna, Pietro and Drugda, Šimon, I·CONnect-Clough Center 2018 Global Review of Constitutional Law (October 18, 2019). The I·CONnect-Clough Center 2018 Global Review of Constitutional Law. ISBN: 978-0-692-15916-3
ELTE Eötvös Kiadó, 2018
In Menyhárd Attila - Varga István: 350 éves az Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem Állam- és Jogtudomán... more In Menyhárd Attila - Varga István: 350 éves az Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem Állam- és Jogtudományi Kara. A jubileumi év konferenciasorozatának tanulmányai. ELTE Eötvös Kiadó 2018
ELTE Law Journal, 2017
The judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, the highest court of the country dealing also with con... more The judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, the highest court of the country dealing also with constitutional matters, are appointed by the executive power. However, in October 2016, a new process was applied for the first time. It was not incorporated into the Supreme Court Act but remained rather a policy. It contained new elements including an independent and non-partisan advisory board preparing for the Prime Minister a shortlist of candidates, and two public hearings: one of the Minister of Justice and the Chair of the Advisory Board to explain the selection process for the MPs, and one of the candidates to answer questions of parliamentarians. The Government’s communicated intent was to ensure a more transparent, inclusive, and accountable process. However, the new process was criticized by several authors because of its redundancies.
This paper aims to examine the Canadian selection process from multiple points of view. First, it gives a theoretical background of the constitutional principles that are relevant to the selection of supreme court judges and identifies the relevant international (soft law) requirements. Second, it analyses the current Canadian process and its realization taking also the historical aspects into account. Third, it gives a comparative constitutional law analysis: it compares the Canadian system with regulation and practice of the United States of America and several European countries. Finally, the paper seeks an answer to the question of what elements can optimise the process of selecting supreme court judges in a constitutional democracy.
Fundamentum, 2018
The article studies jurisprudence on voting rights. The Hungarian Constitutional Court is suppose... more The article studies jurisprudence on voting rights. The Hungarian
Constitutional Court is supposed to have a pivotal role in defending the right to vote. However, as they show in their study, the recent case law of the court between 2014 and 2018 questions that it would be willing to carry out this task. The analysis shows that both at the admissibility stage and when deciding on the merits there are failures that lead to the insufficient
protection of the right. In the study, the authors endeavor to highlight the most important charac teristics and flaws of the case-law focusing on the period between the elections held in 2014 and 2018, thus providing an opportunity for the fluid case-law to stabilize and consolidate in a manner that is in line with the constitutional task of the body.
Eszter Bodnár, Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz, Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy Hungary: The State of Liberal D... more Eszter Bodnár, Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz, Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy
Hungary: The State of Liberal Democracy
In: Albert Richard, Landau David, Faraguna Pietro, Drugda Šimon (szerk.)
2017 Global Review of Constitutional Law. 330 p.
Boston (MA): ICONnect-Clough Center, 2018. pp. 129-133.
(ISBN:978-0-692-15916-3)
BODNÁR Eszter: „Választójog” in JAKAB András – FEKETE Balázs (szerk.): Internetes Jogtudományi En... more BODNÁR Eszter: „Választójog” in JAKAB András – FEKETE Balázs (szerk.): Internetes Jogtudományi Enciklopédia (Alkotmányjog rovat, rovatszerkesztő: BODNÁR Eszter, JAKAB András) http://ijoten.hu/szocikk/alkotmanyjog-valasztojog (2016).
Eszter Bodnár - Benedek Varsányi: Decision of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Exercise ... more Eszter Bodnár - Benedek Varsányi: Decision of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Exercise of the Right to Vote of Hungarian Citizens Living Abroad. In: Hungarian Yearbook of International Law and European Law 2017.
Bodnár Eszter: A Velencei Bizottság választási ajánlásainak érvényesülése a magyar szabályozásban... more Bodnár Eszter: A Velencei Bizottság választási ajánlásainak érvényesülése a magyar szabályozásban és bírósági gyakorlatban. Jogtudományi Közlöny 2018/3.
Az Európa Tanács Velencei Bizottsága aktív szerepet játszik Európa választási standardjainak kialakításában. E tevékenysége során általános ajánlásként fogadta el Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters című dokumentumot, és az egyes országok választási törvényeit egyedi véleményekben méri az ebben megfogalmazott elvárásokhoz. E soft law követelmények kötelező jogi erővel nem, de jelentős politikai autoritással bírnak, és mivel a bíróságok (mind nemzeti, mind nemzetközi szinten) egyre inkább felhasználják a dokumentumot a választási alapelvek értelmezéséhez, közvetetten kikényszeríthetővé is válnak. Magyarországnak az Európa Tanács és a Velencei Bizottság tagjaként figyelemmel kell lennie ezekre az elvárásokra a választási szabályozás és gyakorlat kialakításakor.
Bodnár Eszter - Mécs János: Az alkotmányjogi panasz szerepe a választójog védelmében MTA Law Work... more Bodnár Eszter - Mécs János: Az alkotmányjogi panasz szerepe a választójog védelmében
MTA Law Working Papers 2018/3.
A tanulmány az alkotmányjogi panasz választójog védelmében betöltött szerepét vizsgálja. Az első részben a védett alapjog sajátosságait vizsgáljuk, a választójogot kettős természetűnek tekintve, amely kiemelkedő szerepet játszik a demokratikus hatalomgyakorlás megvalósulásában, ezáltal pedig speciális védelmet és megközelítést igényel. A tanulmány második részében általában a védelem eszközeivel foglalkozunk, kiemelve az alkotmányjogi panaszt, amelynek jelentősége a választójoggal összefüggő indítványok számában is megnyilvánul. A választási eljárás speciális szabályaival kiegészülve az alkotmányjogi panasz funkciója, hogy gyors és hatékony védelmet nyújtson a választójog megsértése esetén. Ezt követően a választójoggal összefüggő panaszok tényleges érvényesülését vizsgáljuk a választási eljárási törvény hatálybalépését követően, vizsgálva valamennyi panasztípust. Az Alkotmánybíróság legújabb gyakorlata alapján kijelenthető, hogy az alkotmányjogi panasz a vizsgált időszakban nem töltött be olyan fontos szerepet a választójog védelmében, mint amit a szabályozási környezet, illetve az alapjoghoz kapcsolódó szubjektív és objektív jogvédelmi igény indokolt volna. Ez részben a befogadási gyakorlatra vezethető vissza; habár a panaszok jelentős részében megalapozott volt a visszautasítás, néhány esetben indokolt és fontos lett volna az érdemi elbírálás, és ezzel összefüggésben az érintettség tágabb értelmezése. Az, hogy az alkotmányjogi panasz nem, vagy csak részben tudta alapjogvédelmi funkcióját betölteni, a befogadási gyakorlat mellett az érdemi határozatoknak is felróható. Ennek kiemelt példája a győzteskompenzációt vizsgáló, valamint a levélben szavazást elbíráló érdemi határozat. Tanulmányunk mind a befogadási gyakorlattal, mind az érdemi döntésekkel szemben kritikát fogalmaz meg.
Bodnár Eszter - Szalbot Balázs: A konkrét utólagos normakontroll és az alkotmányjogi panasz eljár... more Bodnár Eszter - Szalbot Balázs: A konkrét utólagos normakontroll és az alkotmányjogi panasz eljárások összefüggései.
MTA Law Working Papers 2018/2.
A tanulmány a konkrét utólagos normakontroll hatáskört elemzi, bemutatva annak alkotmányjogi panaszokkal való kapcsolatát is. A konkrét utólagos normakontroll sajátosságainak számbavétele során nemcsak az alkotmánybírósági döntésekből kiolvasható értelmezést vizsgáljuk, hanem a Kúria Önkormányzati Tanácsának gyakorlatát is, hiszen 2012. január 1-je óta a bíró már a Kúria Önkormányzati Tanácsánál is kezdeményezhet konkrét utólagos normakontrollt. Az elemzés során az elbíráló szervek gyakorlatán túl az indítványozók, azaz a bírók hatásköri értelmezését is bemutatjuk, a két megközelítés ugyanis nem minden esetben fedi egymást. A tanulmány részletesen elemzi a konkrét utólagos normakontroll jellegét, indítványozói körét, az indítvány tárgyát, tartalmát, címzettjét, illetve jogkövetkezményeit. Az egyes hatásköri elemek bemutatása során minden esetben párhuzamot vonunk az alkotmányjogi panaszokkal, illetve kritikát fogalmazunk meg mind a jogalkotóval, mind a jogalkalmazóval szemben. Tanulmányunk végén összefoglaljuk a jogalkotónak, illetve a bíróságoknak és az Alkotmánybíróságnak címzett főbb megállapításainkat.
Eszter Bodnár: Reflections in the Practice of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Changes o... more Eszter Bodnár: Reflections in the Practice of the Hungarian Constitutional Court on the Changes of its Competences. In: Oesten Baller, Burkhard Breig (ed.): Justiz in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Berliner Wisschenschafts-Verlag, 2017.
Bodnár Eszter: Hogyan válasszunk alkotmánybírót? Egy jó gyakorlat Kanadából. In: Chronowski, N., ... more Bodnár Eszter: Hogyan válasszunk alkotmánybírót? Egy jó gyakorlat Kanadából. In: Chronowski, N., Pozsár-Szentmiklósy Z., Smuk, P., Szabó, Zs.: A szabadságszerető embernek. Liber Amicorum István Kukorelli. Gondolat Kiadó, 2017. 419-428.
HVG Orac, 2022
Sonnevend Pál - Bodnár Eszter (szerk.): Az Emberi Jogok Európai Egyezményének kommentárja. HVG-Or... more Sonnevend Pál - Bodnár Eszter (szerk.): Az Emberi Jogok Európai Egyezményének kommentárja. HVG-Orac, 2022.
https://orac.hu/strasbourgi_kommentar
HVG-Orac, Budapest, 2014.
International Journal of Constitutional Law, 2019
I•CON 17 (2019), 1006–1023
This chapter provides an overview of the constitutional developments that have taken place in Hun... more This chapter provides an overview of the constitutional developments that have taken place in Hungary over the last 30 years. To understand the background, it starts with a short history of Hungarian constitutional law, including the democratic transition in 1989-1990, and then describes the transition of 2010-2012. The chapter primarily focuses on the current state of the Hungarian constitutional system, which is analysed in the light of the essential constitutional values that represent the basis of Western constitutional states (the Rule of Law, democracy, and fundamental rights). Finally, the last part of the chapter concentrates on the social and cultural context and sets out the actual practices and narratives behind the formal rules of the constitutional system. 4.2. A short history of Hungarian constitutional law Until the mid-20th century, Hungary did not have a constitutional charter but instead had a so-called historical constitution which, similarly to the traditional English constitution, consisted of doctrines and several important (substantively important but formally ordinary) statutes. The frst attempt to create a written constitution was made during the short period of the Hungarian Soviet Republic after World War I, but it did not infuence subsequent constitution-making processes. After World War II, the foundations of a new democratic and republican regime were regulated in Act I of 1946 on the Form of the State of Hungary, the provisions of which also reappeared in later constitutional texts. However, this was not a proper constitutional charter, but only the settlement of a few staterelated matters at the level of an ordinary statute, and the constitutional system was soon changed by a Soviet-type socialist dictatorship.
Das politische System Ungarns
Eszter Bodnár: The level of protection of the right to free elections in the practice of the Euro... more Eszter Bodnár: The level of protection of the right to free elections in the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. In: Helen Hardman - Brice Dickson (ed.): Electoral Rights in Europe. Routledge, 2017. The recognition of the right to free elections as a fundamental right was the result of a long process in the history of democratic countries. Its incorporation into the most important international human rights documents was also preceded by heated debates, mainly because of the contracting states’ attempts to protect their sovereignty. Today, no one questions that electoral rights are fundamental rights and as a result, they demand protection both at national and at international level. In addition to the electoral disputes brought before the traditional national forums (electoral management bodies, ordinary or special courts, constitutional courts), more and more cases are now being taken to international protection mechanisms (most often to the European Court of Human Rights in the context of Europe). The right to free elections became part of the system of the European Convention on Human Rights relatively late. The first judgment was not delivered until 1987 and the ratio of judgments dealing with the right to free elections is very low also today. However, on the one hand, the number is increasing from year to year, and on the other, these decisions’ significance is fundamental to the democratic system of the Council of Europe’s member states. The European Court of Human Rights has played a crucial role in the way Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 is interpreted, which process led from the institutional obligation to protect individual rights. Today nobody is likely to question that the right to vote and the right to stand for election are fundamental rights that can be invoked by individuals. The aim of this chapter is to give an overview of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights and evaluate the level of protection it provides to the right to free and fair elections. It examines which factors explain the Court’s reserved approach towards election-related cases and proposes an argument to justify a more activist approach by the Court.
Eszter Bodnár: Disarming the guardians - the transformation of the Hungarian Constitutional Court... more Eszter Bodnár: Disarming the guardians - the transformation of the Hungarian Constitutional Court after 2010. In: Constitutional Populism edited by Adam Czarnota; Martin Krygier; Wojciech Sadurski. Cambridge University Press, 2022. 254-296.