THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SEPARATION OF POWER AND THE CATALYSING FUNCTION OF JUDGES

Authors

  • Carlos Bernal-Pulido University of Dayton

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14210/nej.v29n1.p230-253

Keywords:

Separation of powers, Constitutionalism, Judicial supremacy, Judicial function, Christian foundations of the separation of powers

Abstract

Contextualization: This article asserts that, indeed, based on a conceptual reconstruction of the notion of "separation of powers," this work defends the thesis that the Scriptures attribute to judges the function of encou-raging political authorities to behave virtuously to protect the rights and interests of individuals.

Objective: The objective is to argue that the Bible underpins the principle of the separation of powers and as-signs judges the function of encouraging political authorities to behave virtuously, in order to pro-tect the rights and interests of the people.

Method: The article employs a deductive method to reconstruct the notion of "separation of powers" from the Scriptures, discussing the conceptions of separation of powers and analyzing biblical examples that support this thesis.

Results: The conclusions presented in this article are relevant to supporting a conception that encourages jud-ges to play a catalytic role, so that political authorities effectively protect the rights and interests of people through the creation of laws and the formulation of public policies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Carlos Bernal-Pulido, University of Dayton

Doutor em Direito pela Universidade de Salamanca e em Filosofía pela Universidad de Flórida. Professor na Universidade de Dayton (USA) e na Universidade de La Sabana (Colômbia). Contato: cbernal1@udayton.edu ou carlosbep@unisabana.edu.co.

References

ALBERT, Richard. Amendment and revision in the unmaking of constitutions. In: LANDAU, David; LERNER, Hanna. (Eds.). Handbook on Comparative Constitution-Making. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Disponível em: <https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers2.cfm?abstractid=2841110>. Acesso em: 12 mar. 2018.

ALBERT, Richard. Emenda constitucional e desmembramento. Yale Journal of International Law, v. 43, 2018.

ALBERT, Richard. Constitutional amendment by constitucional desuetude. American Journal of Comparative Law, v. 62, p. 641, 2014

ALEXY, Robert. A Theory of Constitutional Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

ARATO, Julian. Interpretação de tratados e transformação constitucional: mudança informal nas organizações internacionais. Yale Journal of International Law, v. 38, 2013. p. 304.

ARISTÓTELES. Politics. Disponível em: <http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.4.four.html>. Acesso em: 2 ago. 2019.

BARAK, Aharon. Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments. Israeli Law Review, v. 44, p. 321-341, 2011.

BERNAL, Carlos. Informal constitutional change. American Journal of Comparative Law, v. 62, p. 495, 2014.

BERNAL, Carlos. Unconstitutional constitutional amendments in the case study of Colombia: An analysis of the Justification and meaning of the Constitutional replacement doctrine. International Journal of Constitutional Law, v. 11, n. 2, p. 339-357, 2013.

BILCHITZ, David; LANDAU, David. Introduction: The evolution of the separation of powers in the Global South and Global North. In: Bilchitz, David; Landau, David. (Eds.). The Evolution of the Separation of Powers. Cheltenham: Elgar, 2018.

BILCHITZ, David. Poverty and Fundamental Rights: The Justification and Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

BURNSIDE, Jonathan. Old Testament: Torah and Constitutionalism. In: ARONEY, Nicholas; LEIGH, Ian (eds.). Christianity and Constitutionalism. New York, 2023. Online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 Sept. 2022. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197587256.003.0002. Acesso em: 29 jul. 2024

CRISAFULLI, Vezio. Disposizione (e norma). Enciclopedia del Diritto, v. XIII, p. 165 e 203, 1964.

DIXON, Rosalind; Landau, David. Constraining Constitutional Change. Wake Forest Law Review, v. 50, p. 859-890, 2015.

EKINS, Richard. Democracy: Self-Government and the Kingdom of Heaven. In: ARONEY, Nicholas; LEIGH, Ian (eds.). Christianity and Constitutionalism. New York, 2023. Online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 Sept. 2022. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197587256.003.0011. Acesso em: 29 jul. 2024

FERRAZ, Octavio. Desigualdades na saúde, direitos e tribunais: O impacto social da 'judicialização da saúde' no Brasil. In: YAMIN, Alicia E.; GLOPPEN, Siri. (Eds.). Litigating Health Rights: Can Courts Bring More Justice to Health?. Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2011.

GAROUPA, Nuno. Comparing Judicial Activism - Can we Say that the US Supreme Court is more Activist than the German Constitutional Court. Revista portuguesa de filosofía, v. 72, n. 4, p. 1089-1105, 2016.

JUNG, Courtney; HIRSCHL, Ran; ROSEVEAR, Evan. Economic and social rights in national constitutions. American Journal of Comparative Law, v. 62, n. 4, 2014.

KHOSLA, Madhav. Emenda Constitucional. In: CHOUDHRY, Sujit; KHOSLA, Madhav; MEHTA, Pratap Bhanu. (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.

KRAMER, Larry. The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

KRISHNASWAMY, Sudhir. Democracia e Constitucionalismo na Índia: A Study of the Basic Structure Doctrine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.

LANDAU, David. Abusive Constitutionalism. University of California Davis Law Review, v. 47, p. 189-200, 2013.

LANDAU, David. The importance of constitution-making. Denver University Law Review, v. 89, n. 3, p. 611-633, 2011-2012.

LANDAU, David. The reality of social rights enforcement. Harvard International Law Journal, v. 53, n. 1, 2012.

LOCKE, John. Two Treatises of Government. In: Laslett, P. (Ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

LUTZ, Donald S. Toward a theory of constitutional amendment. American Political Science Review, v. 88, n. 2, p. 356, 1994.

MADISON, James. The Federalist No. XLIII. In: HAMILTON, Alexander; JAY, John; MADISON, James. Federalist, sobre a Nova Constituição. Nova York: B. Warner, 1817.

MONTESQUIEU. The Spirit of Laws, Livro XI. Disponível em: <https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/montesquieu-complete-works-vol-1-the-spirit-of-laws>. Acesso em: 2 ago. 2019.

NOLAN, Aoife. Ireland: The separation of powers doctrine vs. socio-economic rights. In: LANGFORD, Malcolm. (Ed.). Social Rights Jurisprudence: Emerging Trends in International and Comparative Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Published

2024-07-30

How to Cite

BERNAL-PULIDO, C. THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SEPARATION OF POWER AND THE CATALYSING FUNCTION OF JUDGES. Journal of Law Studies, Itajaí­ (SC), v. 29, n. 1, p. 230–253, 2024. DOI: 10.14210/nej.v29n1.p230-253. Disponível em: https://periodicos.univali.br/index.php/nej/article/view/20535. Acesso em: 31 aug. 2024.

Issue

Section

Artigos