Spring 2006
COMPARATIVE LAW:
PROFESSOR SUSANNA FREDERICK FISCHER
Welcome to our class Web site! Updates will be made throughout the term. You will be notified about updates in class.
Follow this link to access the Reading List.
More information about the class, including information on exams and grading may be found in the Course Outline
Follow the links below to access PowerPoint slides for each class (these will be posted within a reasonable time after each class):
Class 1 - No slides were shown
Comparative Law Slides Class 2.ppt (Jan. 12, 2006) The transcript of the debate between Justice Scalia and Justice Breyer on the constitutional relevance of foreign law at American University in January 2005 is available here
Comparative Law Class 3.ppt (Jan. 17, 2006)
Comparative Law Class 4.ppt (Jan. 19, 2006)
Link to French Civil Code of 1804 http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/c_code.html
Comparative Law Class 5.ppt (Jan. 24, 2006)
judgments of the Cour de Cassation in English can be downloaded here: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/global_law/french-cases/index.shtml?contents#cassation
Website of the Cour de Cassation
April 4 Ghibeling slides.ppt
April 6 Butkovich presentation.ppt
April 10 Viglianti presentation.ppt
Students in previous years of this class have created web sites on the legal systems of a number of jurisdictions. To access the web sites, please click on the links below. Please note that some of the links are currently down. I am working on fixing these.
ARGENTINA: Argentina: The Legal System
AUSTRALIA: Australian Legal System
BAHAMAS: Legal Traditions of the Bahamas
BELGIUM: Belgian Legal System
BRAZIL: Brazilian Legal System
CANADA: Canadian Legal System
CHINA: Legal System of China
THE CZECH REPUBLIC: Legal System of the Czech Republic
EL SALVADOR: The Legal System of El Salvador
GEORGIA: The Criminal Justice System of Georgia and the Process of Reform
GUATEMALA: Guatemala: Legal System
INDIA: Legal System of India
IRAQ: The Legal System of Iraq
THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY: The Iroquois Confederacy Legal System: A Brief Look at the Haudenosaunee People
ISRAEL: The Legal System of Israel
JAPAN: The Legal System of Japan
KENYA: Kenya: A Case for Reform
MOROCCO: Kingdom of Morocco Legal System
NAMIBIA: Legal System of Namibia
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch Legal System
NORTHERN IRELAND: Legal System of Northern Ireland
PANAMA: The Panamanian Legal System
PHILIPPINES: The Philippines
PORTUGAL: Portugal's Legal Structure
RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Russian Federation Legal System
SCOTLAND: The Scottish Legal System
SLOVAKIA: The Legal System of Slovakia
SOUTH AFRICA: The Legal System of South Africa
TAIWAN: The Legal System of Taiwan
TURKEY: Turkish Legal System
VENEZUELA: Venezuelan Legal System
Many helpful resources on comparative law are available on the Internet. To get you started, here are a few links:
1. Collections of Foreign/Comparative Law Resources
Lyonette Louis-Jacques, the Foreign & International Law Librarian and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago, has assembled a number of very useful collections of links to foreign materials. See in particular, "Making the Connection to the Rest of the World", at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/maall-call.html, "Foreign Law: Legal Research Resources on the Internet" at: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/foreignlaw.html and "Private International Law: Cross-Border Transactions or Transnational Law: International Conflicts of Law: Print and Electronic Sources of Foreign Law" at: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/pil.html; see also "Finding Foreign Law online When Going Global" (last updated July, 2001) at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/global.html
FindLaw International Resources at: http://guide.lp.findlaw.com/12international/ and individual country resources at: http://guide.lp.findlaw.com/12international/countries/
Law Library of Congress "Guide to Law Online" at: http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/index.html
2. Constitutional Law
University of Chicago "Foreign and International Law Page" at: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/law/intl.html
International Constitutional Law Project at: http://www.oefre.unibe.ch/law/icl/index.html
Lyonette Louis-Jacques, "Researching Constitutional Law on the Internet" at: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/conlaw.html
3. Case Law
Institute of Global Law, University College London Faculty of Laws, in cooperation with the Institute of Transnational Law, University of Texas School of Law, Database of translated German and French judicial decisions at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/global_law/cases/
Globalcourts Supreme Court decisions around the world at: http://www.globalcourts.com/
Council of Europe Venice Commission site at: http://venice.coe.int/site/dynamics/N_calendar_ef.asp?L=E
You may also find the following books to be useful resources:
Manlio Bellomo, The Common Legal Past of Europe
Catherine Elliott & Catherine Vernon, French Legal System
Justinian, The Digest of Roman Law
John Henry Merryman, The Civil Law Tradition (2d edition)
Peter Stein, Roman Law in European History
R.C. Van Caenegem, An Historical Introduction to Private Law
© 2006 Susanna Fischer. All Rights Reserved. Last Revised Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:09:06 AM