This article maps out and evaluates the rise of ‘Deliberative Rights Theory’ (‘DRT’), a novel field of human rights analysis drawing on ideas from deliberative democracy. Deliberative democracy addresses dilemmas such as how deliberative and democratic inputs into public decision-making can each be influential, without either one dominating the other. This is especially apt for human rights, as settling complex and contentious rights cases (eg on COVID-19 vaccination, internet speech or assisted dying) calls for both technical deliberation and democratic input. There is an acute risk of noncompliance with – or even backlash against – rights decisions that lack either type of input. DRT’s normative strand of research explores conditions for uncoerced interactions between diverse participants in rights decision-making (eg ‘reasoned persuasion’, ‘epistemic diversity’ and ‘temporal deferral’). These conditions allow for an ‘integration’ of both deliberation and democracy in the course of decision-making about rights. This relatively nuanced and promising answer to the deliberation-democracy dilemma helps to account for DRT’s rising prominence. By contrast, ‘strategic’ approaches expect participants to leverage their status or power to push for outcomes they favour. The article contends that strategic approaches implicit in many existing rights theories cannot solve the deliberation-democracy dilemma, but rather allow one type of input (deliberative or democratic) or one type of institution (eg a court or legislature) to dominate. A further, institutionalist strand of research addresses how to realise DRT’s high normative ideals. The article suggests that court-focused rights models are frequently inadequate. Newer approaches, such as the mini-public model increasingly prominent in deliberative democracy, can best integrate democracy and deliberation for rights decision-making.

Strong constitutionalism usually conceives rights as instruments for protecting people. The problem with this conception is that it generates legal alienation, since it views people as passive recipients of protection, which is an exclusive matter for the state and, ultimately, for judicial review. In contrast, deliberative constitutionalism gives people an active role in deliberating about rights, among themselves as well as between them and the state. However, despite the development of deliberative constitutionalism, it is not yet clear what this view of rights requires of judicial review. Accordingly, this contribution to the Federal Law Review’s symposium issue on deliberative rights theory argues for deliberative judicial review, which is a form of judicial review that, by respecting and promoting democratic deliberation, offers better protection of rights, as well as greater impartiality and legitimacy. In support of this argument, the article first makes explicit that the guide that should orient judicial review is not deference or activism but rather democratic deliberation. Next it states that, from this guide, a form of judicial review should be inferred that is not merely substantial or merely procedural, but rather semiprocedural. It then argues that, notwithstanding contextual turns, weak constitutionalism combined with channels of social dialogue offers a better institutional basis for deliberative judicial review than strong constitutionalism. Lastly, it concludes that deliberative judicial review respects and contributes to articulating rights without legal alienation, i.e. through dialogue among all potentially affected persons.

Judges’ role in adjudicating constitutional human rights is frequently criticised as undemocratic, fuelled by recent United States Supreme Court judgements on abortion, gun rights and the environment. But human rights of those without political power are insufficiently protected by decision-makers accountable only to majorities. This paper develops a model of human rights adjudication which enhances democracy rather than detracting from it. Human rights disputes should not be determined through bargaining, which reflects the power of different interests, but through ‘value-oriented’ reasoning, where parties adduce reasons aiming to convince others, while remaining open to persuasion. This is the essence of deliberative democracy. However, this is not open-ended deliberation. Although human rights are abstract, requiring further interpretation in particular contexts, they establish a ‘realm of meaning’ setting the boundaries within which deliberation can occur. This is bounded deliberation. Courts should enhance deliberative democracy by requiring decision-makers to demonstrate that they have addressed human rights questions in a value-oriented manner, rather than reflecting political, numerical or economic power. This includes ensuring a variety of perspectives and that marginalised voices are taken seriously. The paper uses examples from different jurisdictions, including India, South Africa and the US, to demonstrate the possibility of this model.

Deliberative mini-publics are decision-making bodies that provide technical instruction to a set of randomly-selected citizens, who then deliberate over public policies. Mini-publics have long seen use across a range of policy areas globally. The appeal of using mini-publics lies in their integration of democratic and deliberative inputs, which can enhance the legitimacy of policy decisions and may even help to settle deeply divisive public debates. Yet whether mini-publics can be adapted to the adjudication of human rights remains an open question. This article provides the first general empirical evaluation of this question. It finds, first, an expanding set of bona fide deliberative mini-publics adjudicating rights disputes, on subjects from hate speech to Covid-19. However, a second and more complex analysis considers whether mini-publics can conduct the deliberations necessary to adjudicate rights disputes. Some theoretical commentary assumes that they can, given that rights adjudication requires factual or value-based analyses, to which lay citizens seem well suited. The article indeed finds evidence to support this conclusion, providing proof-of-concept that mini-publics can adjudicate rights disputes effectively. However, support for the conclusion is conditional: how well mini-publics invoke key rights doctrines depends on the nature of support and information provided to lay participants.

‘Deliberative Rights Theory’ evaluates what deliberative democratic scholarship can contribute to the constitutional question of how to protect fundamental rights and freedoms. That scholarship primarily focuses on what occurs within the legislature, judiciary and citizen assemblies to test the relationship between deliberation and rights. This article argues that what occurs within federalism can also significantly influence rights deliberation and thus should be part of the conversation. The article explores federalism’s effect on rights deliberation through two case studies from the COVID-19 pandemic. The first considers Australia’s decision to close its international border and the way federalism influenced discussion and debate on the right of citizens to return to the country. The second considers Canada’s decision to end the ‘Freedom Convoy’ against vaccination mandates and the way federalism affected discussion and debate on the right to protest. The article concludes by considering some directions for future research on the topic.