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Index
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Experiences of the International Society of Family Law: Personal Reflections
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- By Nigel Lowe
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Summary
UPPSALA 1979
My first experience of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL) was the third World Conference, held in Uppsala, Sweden in 1979, which I attended together with my colleague at the University of Bristol, Gillian Douglas. I had never been to an ISFL World Conference before, and I was excited by the prospect – and I was not disappointed. For me, it remains one of the best and most stimulating international conferences I have attended. The theme of the conference was ‘Cohabitation’, which in those days was regarded as being very ‘avant-garde’, but then, this was Sweden after all. Indeed, I recall one of the sociological papers was on ‘deviant behaviour’, and examined, in particular, jurisdictions in which, because of its incidence, cohabitation had become ‘normative’ as opposed to ‘deviant’ behaviour. Another memorable paper was one given by Eric Clive, who argued that marriage could be jettisoned as a legal concept (aliter a religious one) in favour of one based on cohabitation. Food for thought indeed!
I remember, too, being impressed and not a little overwhelmed by a scholarly paper presented by a German academic examining English common law. I was clearly going to have to ‘up my game’ if I was to perform on the world stage.
Amongst the myriad of stars that attended and presented at Uppsala, one stood out above the rest – Mary Ann Glendon. Not only did she give a fascinating paper, but on one occasion she considered the English simultaneous translation of a paper given in French to be inadequate. She offered to take those who wanted to to a separate room, where she gave a seminar on what the speaker was trying to say. Sadly, that was the only occasion that I came across Mary Ann.
The conference, of course, was not without incident – I remember one in particular. After a German scholar had made his presentation in English, he was asked a question, to which he turned to the German-speaking Chair and answered in German. The Chair translated his answer into English.
An International Society of Family Law Remembrance
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I no longer remember what sort of notice I received, in 1982, announcing an International Society of Family Law World Conference that would take place at Harvard Law School in June. I had never heard of the International Society of Family Law. Even the subject of family law was new to me. I am pretty sure that the Spring 1982 semester was the first time I had ever taught the course, and I was still learning the basics. It was a period of tremendous upheaval in the field: no-fault divorce was gaining ground, gender-based roles and rules were disappearing, and both women and children were gaining new rights and entitlements. It was an exciting time in family law – that was a major reason why I had volunteered to teach a subject I had deemed too dull to study when in law school. The prospect of a conference bringing together family law scholars from around the world was immensely exciting. I sent in my registration form.
The conference was packed and immensely interesting. At this remove, I can no longer remember details, but I do recall meeting many fascinating people, and the constant sense of learning something new. Various presentations about the move to no-fault divorce also gave me an idea for an empirical research project that ultimately consumed years of my time, but I do not think I can blame the ISFL for that!
That exciting 1982 conference was my last ISFL experience for more than a decade. During those early days, there were no regional conferences – or at least there were none in North America – and other 1980s World Conferences took place in venues (Brussels, Tokyo, the former Yugoslavia) far more distant than Boston. By this point, I had young children and wanted to stay closer to home.
Sometime in, when? – 1993 or 1994 – a bright gold notice turned up in the mail. Its top border was decorated with an abstract design of peaks, and it announced a North American regional ISFL conference to take place at the Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons, in June. There were then no regular American events devoted to family law scholarship, other than the annual meeting of the Family Law section at the American Association of Law Schools.
International Survey of Family Law 2023
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The International Society of Family Law is an independent, international, and non-political scholarly association dedicated to the study, research and discussion of family law and related disciplines. The Society's membership currently includes professors, lecturers, scholars, teachers, and researchers from more than 50 different countries, offering a unique opportunity for networking within a truly international family law community.
The International Survey of Family Law is the annual review of the International Society of Family Law. It brings together reliable and clearly structured insights into the latest and most notable developments in family law from all around the globe. Chapters are prepared by an international team of selected experts in the field, usually covering twenty or more jurisdictions in each edition.
The 2023 Jubilee edition of the International Survey combines reflections on the history of the International Society of Family Law and the last 50 years of family law developments across the globe. It also covers the latest updates on topics such as the inclusion of artificial intelligence in family law dispute resolution, the evolution of the relationship between civil and Shari'a courts, the continuing discussion of the nature of marriage and the rights of same-sex couples, reconciling informal families with customary law, reforms in the legal treatment of the elderly, inheritance law, and a comparison of the right to privacy in the United States and Israel, in the wake of the US Supreme Court decision overturning a half century of abortion protections.
PART III - Developments in Family Law
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Artificial Intelligence and Family Law Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms in Family (Patrimonial) Law
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Résumé
Au cours des trois dernières décennies, l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) et des algorithmes a gagné du terrain dans la pratique du droit de la famille. Les litiges « classiques » de droit de la famille, tels que le divorce, les pensions alimentaires et la liquidation des régimes matrimoniaux et des successions, sont encore représenté s par des images de salles d’audience, où les parties au litige et leurs avocats comparaissent devant un juge. Pourtant, de l’obtention d’un divorce à la liquidation du régime matrimonial des époux, en passant par l’organisation des modalités d’exercice de l’autorité parentale et de résidence des enfants, le règlement des contentieux familiaux s’effectue de plus en plus souvent en ligne, par le biais d’une application ou d’un site web. Dans le présent article, nous donnons un aperçu de l’utilisation de l’IA dans la pratique du droit de la famille aujourd’hui, spécialement dans sa dimension patrimoniale. Nous retraçons l’émergence des outils d’IA dans les contentieux traditionnels, ainsi que dans les processus de règlement extrajudiciaire des litiges (ADR), et en particulier dans le règlement des litiges en ligne (ODR).
Les présents développements s’attachent d’abord à expliquer les technologies d’IA utilisées et à explorer leur application dans la pratique juridique en général et en droit (patrimonial) de la famille en particulier. À l’aide d’exemples concrets, nous examinons l’utilisation actuelle de l’IA dans la pratique du droit de la famille à travers le monde. Ensuite, les avantages et les inconvénients de ces outils technologiques sont étudiés. Une réflexion sur l’utilisation de l’IA dans la pratique du droit de la famille est menée afin d’en analyser, de manière critique, les succès et les échecs et d’en tirer les leçons qui s’imposent. Enfin, nous nous interrogeons sur la valeur ajoutée que l’IA et les algorithmes peuvent apporter à la pratique du droit de la famille, aujourd’hui et à l’avenir, en nous concentrant particulièrement sur l’Europe.
INTRODUCTION
When you hear the word ‘divorce’, what image comes to your mind? Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s characters in the Netflix movie, Marriage Story, exchanging snarky barbs across conference tables and courthouse corridors? Perhaps you think of the public dramas of celebrity divorces that have graced the pages of broadsheet and tabloid newspapers? Or perhaps you think of the mindful ‘conscious uncoupling’ of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin?
Japan Historical Development of Japanese Family Law and Family Policy
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- By Ayako Harada
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Cet article décrit les développements historiques du droit de la famille et des politiques familiales japonais sous l’angle de la sociologie juridique. Après une brève introduction (première partie), la deuxième partie analyse la mise en place de politiques familiales et la reconnaissance par l’É tat d’un modèle familial ainsi que son intérêt pour la vie des familles. Il explique ensuite comment les modèles familiaux ont été prescrits par les codes civils d’avant-guerre et d’après-guerre au Japon. La troisième partie traite de l’évolution des réalités familiales d’après-guerre au Japon : la multiplication des familles dîtes « nucléaires » a soulevé de nouveaux problèmes qui ont nécessité des changements de politiques familiales, mais ceuxci ne se sont pas produits assez rapidement. La quatrième partie de l’article plaide en faveur de l’évolution du droit et des politiques familiales japonais qui traitent des questions étroitement liées aux droits et à la dignité des individus dans la vie familiale. Le dernier chapitre conclut l’article par des propositions de recherches supplémentaires sur la vie, les lois et les politiques familiales contemporaines dans une perspective sociojuridique, en tenant compte des pratiques sociétales quotidiennes intéressant la vie des familles.
INTRODUCTION
Japanese research in sociology of law takes a keen interest in the family as a key area of research. This is because the family is intimately connected with the workings of the State and society. The family has been constructed on the basis of norms and models regulated and demanded by the State and society. Norms concerning the family emanate from the State and society at the public level – beyond individual human beings and families – and individual families have been formed and managed under the direct and indirect influence of these norms. Meanwhile, the family is also a private domain that allows individuals to enter intimate relationships with others and live their unique individual lives. Furthermore, the family’s aspect as a free community can contribute to the formation of civil society. This private aspect of the family is established by the suppression or exclusion of intervention in the family in the public realm. However, in recent years, the boundary between the public and the private aspects of the family has been destabilised by the active intervention of the State and society, in resolving conflicts and protecting victims of violence within the family.
Preface
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The 2023 edition of the International Survey of Family Law celebrates the International Society of Family Law‘s (ISFL) fiftieth anniversary. This first of two Jubilee editions begins with fascinating memoirs recounting the discussions that led to ISFL‘s creation, a conference in Opatija, Yugoslavia with tanks rumbling nearby on the eve of the Balkan War, the ISFL‘s expansion with meetings in Australia, Japan, and South Africa, and the role of the Society in anticipating and creating a foundation for family law reform.
This first Jubilee edition complements the more personal memoirs with retrospectives on long-term changes in family law across the globe. The chapters describe ‘a revolution in family law’ over the last half century as much of the world shifted from a unifocal emphasis on marriage to much more inclusive systems of family regulation. Individual chapters recount how, in Portugal, the democratic governments that followed the overthrow of Portugal‘s dictatorship embraced family law liberation, the transformation in Belgium in the legal definition of parenthood, and the Scottish developments broadening recognition of different family relationships. Other chapters consider the parallel developments in Japan and China, with the Japanese shifting from a patriarchal system of family regulation to greater recognition of gender equality, and from multigenerational families to nuclear families to individual expression, while the Chinese have reformed family law and procedure as part of the ‘rejuvenation of the Chinese nation’.
The chapters focused on more recent developments, in turn, report on the continuing process of family law reform and retrenchment. This first Jubilee edition reviews the incorporation of artificial intelligence into family law techniques, with a particularly trenchant comparison of the success in doing so with online platforms in Australia and the much greater resistance from practitioners in the Netherlands. Another chapter examines the evolution of the relationship between civil and Shariʿa courts in Israel, as Muslim litigants obtained the ability to choose between civil and religious tribunals. It describes the result as the ‘Islamisation of Israeli law’, with civil courts applying relatively conservative interpretations of shari ʿa law and the ‘Israelisation of shari ʿa law’, as the Islamic tribunals adopted relatively more liberal interpretations of the same religious principles.
Marie-Thérèse Meulders-Klein, In Memoriam
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With the demise of Marie-Thérèse Meulders-Klein, the International Society of Family Law has lost one of its most beloved and distinguished members. She will be long remembered for her path-breaking contributions to family law, comparative law and bioethics, as well as for her outstanding service to law reform as a member of, and advisor to, national and international commissions. Those of us fortunate enough to have known her will treasure the memory of her gracious personality, her generosity to colleagues, and her exemplary intellectual integrity. Her immense learning, intellectual curiosity, scientific rigour, graceful writing style, and civility in argument have set a high standard for all who work in the areas of family law and comparative legal studies.
To fully appreciate her contributions, it is important to recall that she began her academic career in the 1960s, just when Western nations were on the brink of a massive revolution in ideas and behaviour concerning sexuality, marriage and family life. Those changes were so sudden and so profound that not even professional demographers saw them coming. At an international conference organised by Professor Meulders-Klein in 1985, French demographer Louis Roussel spelled out just how dramatic the developments of the preceding two decades had been:
What we have seen between 1965 and the present, among the billion or so people who inhabit the industrialized nations, is … a general upheaval across the whole set of demographic indicators, a phenomenon rare in the history of populations. In barely twenty years, the birth rate and the marriage rate have tumbled, while divorces and illegitimate births have increased rapidly. All these changes have been substantial, with increases or decreases of more than fifty percent. They have also been sudden, since the processof change has only lasted about fifteen years. And they have been general, because all industrialized countries have been affected beginning around 1965.
Marie-Thérèse Meulders-Klein was one of the first to explore the legal implications of that massive social experiment that brought new opportunities and liberties to many adults, but exposed children and other dependents to new risks.
By the end of the century, family law had become a major battleground in a war of ideas.
Poland Polish Solutions in the Protection of Elderly Rights
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Selon les derni e res recherches, la Pologne devrait, d’ici 2100, occuper la premi e re place en termes de proportion de personnes âgées par rapport au reste de la population, et être ainsi le pays le plus âgé d’Europe. Il est donc important d’évaluer le système actuel du droit de la famille, du droit des successions et du droit civil en Pologne, afin de sauvegarder de manière adéquate les intérêts des personnes âgées dans les actes de la vie civile. Il faut partir du principe que les personnes âgées devraient pouvoir contracter aussi longtemps que possible, grâce à un soutien adéquat. En outre, le recours à l’incapacité légale, qui est fréquemment utilisé à l’encontre des personnes âgées en Pologne, ne contribue pas à la protection de leurs droits fondamentaux, mais est au contraire discriminatoire dans de nombreux cas.
L’objectif scientifique de cet article est d’identifier les tendances et d’analyser les solutions existantes dans le droit civil polonais pour la protection des intérêts des personnes âgées, y compris dans le droit de la famille et le droit des successions. La possibilité pour ces personnes de participer à des actes civils est particulièrement préoccupante. L’article propose de définir un cadre optimal pour la protection des intérêts des personnes âgées en Pologne. Celui-ci impliquera la détermination de principes généraux et de lignes directrices pour la protection des personnes âgées, tout en essayant de construire de nouvelles solutions statutaires pour répondre au problème de plus en plus visible du vieillissement de la population en Pologne.
La législation polonaise comporte certaines dispositions utiles pour la protection des droits des personnes âgées. Il s’agit, par exemple, de mécanismes du droit des successions tels que la succession par les grands-parents du testateur et le droit des grands-parents à une quasi-créance alimentaire. Toutefois, de nouvelles dispositions restent attendues. Il semble nécessaire de supprimer l’incapacité légale et de la remplacer par des institutions basées sur la prise de décision assistée, comme le mandat de protection future donné à un mandataire ou encore un modèle plus flexible d’intervention judiciaire ou administrative adapté aux besoins des personnes âgées. L’objectif d’une telle législation devrait être de fournir un soutien aux personnes âgées, tant matériel qu’immatériel, afin qu’elles puissent participer activement le plus longtemps possible aux actes de la vie civile et à la vie sociale.
Pacific Island Countries Legal Regulation of Same-Sex Relationships in Pacific Island Countries: A Conflict of Values
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Dans les petites îles indépendantes du Pacifique Sud, les couples de même sexe sont placés dans une situation juridique difficile. Dans beaucoup de ces pays, ils ne sont pas autorisés à se marier ou à conclure une union civile. Dans certains de ces États, les actes sexuels entre partenaires de même sexe sont d’ailleurs toujours criminalisés. Le présent article examine les dispositions légales qui régissent les relations entre personnes de même sexe dans une sélection de pays insulaires du Pacifique. Il étudie également les garanties constitutionnelles d’égalité et de non-discrimination et la manière dont elles s’appliquent aux couples de même sexe. Il analyse ensuite la manière dont les tribunaux réagissent face aux contradictions entre le droit pénal et les dispositions relatives aux droits de l’homme lorsqu’il s’agit de relations entre personnes de même sexe. Enfin, il aborde les perspectives de réforme.
INTRODUCTION
In small island countries of the South Pacific, same-sex couples are placed in a difficult legal position. In many of these countries, they are not entitled to marry or form a civil union that is recognised by State laws. In some countries, sexual acts by same-sex partners are still criminalised. This chapter examines the legal provisions that govern same-sex relationships in a selection of Pacific Island countries. It also explores the constitutional guarantees of equality and freedom from discrimination, and the limits that have been placed on those rights, which may impact on same-sex couples. The chapter then goes on to consider the courts’approach to the tensions between criminal laws and human rights provisions, in the context of same-sex relationships. Finally, the chapter considers prospects for reform.
MATRIMONIAL LAWS
In some Pacific Islands countries, such as Nauru and Fiji, marriage is expressed to be the union of a man and a woman. In Fiji, for example, the Marriage Act provides: ‘Marriage in Fiji shall be the voluntary union of one man to one woman to the exclusion of all others’. Consequently, same-sex marriages cannot be celebrated under the Act. While the Marriage Act prescribes the only legally recognised way of formalising a marriage in Fiji, in practice parties do go through other ceremonies of marriage in accordance with their customs or religion. However, these processes are not available to same-sex partners, and, in any event, they are not recognised under State law.
Israel Islamic Law in the Jewish State: The Formation of an Israeli Shariʿa
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Cet article présente les développements récents et passionnants du droit musulman de la famille dans l’État juif. Plus précisément, il explore les processus peu étudiés d’« israélisation du droit musulman », i.e. la convergence de facteurs légaux « externes » qui ont eu un impact sur l’évolution du droit musulman. L’analyse se concentre plus particulièrement sur deux formes « d’israélisation » : l’une concerne l’interprétation « civile » de la loi musulmane par les juges aux affaires familiales, l’autre est relative aux conséquences d’une réforme législative, introduite en 2001, qui a mis en place une compétence concurrente entre les tribunaux civils de la famille et les tribunaux de la charia pour la plupart des questions relatives au statut personnel des musulmans en Israël. L’étude est fondée sur la jurisprudence en matière de pension alimentaire pour l’épouse musulmane. Elle identifie la dynamique de deux processus parallèles, voire paradoxaux : d’une part, les tribunaux de la sharia ont eu tendance à introduire des réformes internes en faveur des femmes et à adopter des interprétations du droit musulman de la famille relativement libérales et favorables aux femmes au cours des deux dernières décennies; d’autre part, les tribunaux civils de la famille ont développé une jurisprudence conservatrice et patriarcale qui est systématiquement défavorable aux femmes musulmanes et à leur famille. Cette étude se termine par un aperçu de la manière dont le droit musulman pourrait évoluer au sein de l’État juif.
INTRODUCTION
Israeli family law is unique among the law of Western countries: it is patterned after the Ottoman millet system, which imbued communal-religious courts with jurisdiction in the personal status matters of their respective community members. The Israeli pluri-legal family law regime accords official recognition to 14 religious communities, including Jews, Muslims, Druze, Baha’i, and 10 different Christian denominations. Each recognised religious community possesses its own State-sanctioned tribunals and a separate set of legally binding religious codes. This State-administered religious court system co-exists alongside a parallel system of civil family courts, which have been vested with concurrent jurisdiction over the ancillary matrimonial matters of property distribution, wife maintenance, and child support and custody. Family law in the Jewish state is, thus, a hybrid of civil and religious legal elements, where the interplay between the sacred and the secular unfolds in many manifestations.
Remembering the International Society of Family Law: The Recent Past
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Summary
Compared with some others who have written of their memories of the ISFL for this volume, I represent a slightly younger generation of family law scholars who joined ISFL, not in its infancy, but when it was already well-established.
Although I was born and educated in Britain, I was, by the stage of joining the ISFL, a young academic in Australia, one of several British family lawyers who left Britain in the mid1980s when prospects in Australia were so much brighter (and the weather so much better). Two of them, Stephen Parker and John Dewar, together organised the World Conference in Brisbane in 2000. Both went on to distinguished careers in university leadership, as Vice-Chancellors of the University of Canberra and La Trobe University, respectively.
MY EARLY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE ISFL
My first World Conference was in Opatija, Croatia in 1991, a conference to remember, not least for being held in the shadow of war between Croatia and Serbia. The war did not finally break out until a few weeks later, but it was in my mind, like everyone else’s, when deciding whether it would be safe to travel there. Pictures in the newspapers of tanks on the street were a little confronting, but I was reassured enough by the press accounts that the road to Opatija would not be laden with mines, and so I made the journey.
The conference itself, ably organised by Petar Šarcević, was an immensely enriching experience. I reconnected with my family law tutor at Oxford, Ruth Deech, and John Eekelaar, both of whom played such an important role in the work of the ISFL in those years. I also met others from many different parts of the world. Predominantly, at that stage, the members came from Europe and North America, but even in a conference which had a reduced attendance due to the political situation, there was an impressive enough representation from other parts of the world to make it evident that this was truly an international society. The previous World Conference had been held in Tokyo.
As it happens, I gave a paper in the same session as Nigel Lowe and Gillian Douglas, an account of which is given in Nigel’s recollections in this volume.
Contents
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Reflections on the International Survey of Family Law
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- By Bill Atkin
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INTRODUCTION
During the period of my involvement with the Survey, which started in 1981, I saw it go from an informal internal publication to an official, smart-looking and professional vehicle for the dissemination of ideas and developments on a global basis. During the period from 2007 to 2016, I had the privilege of being the General Editor of the International Survey. I inherited a going concern, and was glad to pass it on in much the same state. Although very time-consuming, it was a great enterprise to be involved with. It enabled me to reinforce existing networks, but also to build new friendships and intellectual relationships. Every year there was a definite ‘product’ in the form of a handsome volume. It was a very positive experience for me.
I was no doubt seen as a likely prospect to edit the Survey because I had contributed to the Survey every year since 1981, writing about my home country New Zealand. That contribution began early in my career, and helped cement my own development as an academic. When I was asked to take over the editorship, I felt daunted, but at least I knew roughly what was entailed. I shall comment more specifically on my experiences later on, but first let us explore some of the history of the Survey, with some key moments in its life.
HISTORY
FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS TO A REGULAR PUBLICATION OUTLET
The precise beginnings of the Survey I have found to be murky. The earliest copy I have on my shelves was published in 1979, and is the ‘No. 4’ issue. The first copies were in the form of an annual newsletter, published under the Society’s auspices. Frank Bates, then a reader at the University of Tasmania, and now emeritus professor at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, had just become editor in time for the 1979 issue, and in his Preface he stated: ‘I have taken the liberty of changing its title to that of the Annual Survey of Family Law, as that name seems better to describe the aims of the publication.’ The wording suggested that it was a unilateral decision, but it stuck, apparently without opposition, and the name continued until 1984.
PART I - Reflections on 50 Years of the International Society of Family Law
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The Origins and Development of the Society
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Summary
I was fortunate to be among those who attended a meeting at the University of Birmingham, England, in April 1973, at which the ISFL was conceived. There is an account of it by Harry D. Krause in the American Journal of Comparative Law, vol. 22 (1) 216–7 (1974). I am not sure whose idea it originally was, but the meeting’s hosts must have been significantly involved. They were J. Neville Turner and Anthony H. Manchester. Anthony became the ISFL’s first Treasurer. His later academic interests turned towards legal history. Neville was the first General Secretary; he later went to Australia (Monash University), where he developed a wide range of interests, including in sports law, law and literature, history and jazz. There was an affectionate obituary, accessible at https://oztypewriter. blogspot.com/2018/04/death-of-gentleman-and-scholar.html, published after he passed away in 2018. It is extraordinary to think that his role in the early stages of a successful international organisation can be counted among the many fruits of his varied interests.
Other names mentioned by Krause were obviously important in the formation of the society, and most went on to play significant parts in it. Ze’ev Falk’s quiet yet insistent determination to bring about the ISFL’s objectives made him an obvious first President. Of the others Krause mentions (Olive Stone, Frank Bates, Alastair Bissett-Johnson, Mauricette Craffe, Henry Finlay, Dieter Giesen, Aidan Gough, Sanford Katz, Julien Payne, Jennifer Temkin and Ray Watson), I later got to know particularly well Bates, Finlay, Giesen, Katz and Krause himself. Frank and Henry were wonderful hosts when I later visited Australia, and each did important work for the ISFL. I maintained contact with Henry’s wife, Leah, for many years after he died.
Dieter Giesen later spent time as a Visiting Fellow of my college (Pembroke, Oxford), mixing in enthusiastically with the other Fellows, and the then Master, with whom he shared a taste for good malt whisky, as part of his almost obsessive drive to engage with the English-speaking (and common law) world.
Scotland Incrementalism and Compromise in Reforming Child and Family Law
- Edited by Robin Fretwell Wilson, University of Illinois, June Carbone, University of Minnesota
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- Book:
- International Survey of Family Law 2023
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- Intersentia
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- 03 April 2024
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- 31 October 2023, pp 179-198
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Résumé
Sans surprise – et comme dans beaucoup d’autres États – le droit écossais contemporain de l’enfance et de la famille diffère, parfois assez radicalement, du droit tel qu’il était il y a un demi-siècle. Cet article se concentre sur l’évolution de l’appréhension par le droit des relations intimes entre adultes pour lesquelles la réforme du droit a suivi une trajectoire claire : le système juridique reconnait un plus large éventail de relations et a diversifié les fondements juridiques possibles. Le présent texte examine l’évolution de la loi en s’interrogeant sur les raisons qui ont motivé les différentes réformes et sur la manière dont le processus a fonctionné– un exercice qui peut éclairer ceux qui s’occupent des futures réformes du droit de l’enfance et de la famille.
INTRODUCTION
Given the enormous sociopolitical developments of the last 50 years, it would be astonishing – and very disappointing – if the law governing children and families had not changed in that time. Thus, it is no surprise to find that, as in many other jurisdictions, contemporary Scots child and family law differs, sometimes quite radically, from the law as it was half a century ago.
That reform of the law has taken place in the context of another major change, with a federal system of government being adopted across the United Kingdom (UK). For Scotland, this means that the Scottish Parliament sits in Edinburgh and legislates on ‘devolved matters’, while the United Kingdom Parliament continues to sit at Westminster, and retains jurisdiction for Scotland on ‘reserved matters’. Most of child and family law is devolved, although some matters that impact on it are reserved to Westminster. In addition, even where an issue is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, it may authorise the UK Parliament to legislate for Scotland, and it has, on occasion, done so.
While Scotland always had its own system of family law, distinct from that operating in other parts of the UK, the creation of a separate Scottish Parliament gave more time for legislation to be passed than had been possible at Westminster. It was also believed that having a legislature within the jurisdiction might enable the law to reflect the will of the Scottish people better than had been the case previously.
Moving beyond the domestic sphere, a range of regional and international treaties have had an impact on Scots law.
Belgium 50 Years of Belgian Parentage Law: Time to Celebrate or Contemplate?
- Edited by Robin Fretwell Wilson, University of Illinois, June Carbone, University of Minnesota
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- Book:
- International Survey of Family Law 2023
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- Intersentia
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- 03 April 2024
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- 31 October 2023, pp 101-122
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Cet article retrace l’évolution du droit de la filiation en Belgique au cours des 50 dernières années. Sera mis en lumière, le glissement d’une législation fondée sur le mariage vers une législation qui s’appuie également sur des liens biologiques ou sociétaux, qui est ouverte aux couples de femmes et qui fait de l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant une considération primordiale. Cetteévolution législative, à travers trois importantes réformes (1987, 2006, 2014), est principalement le résultat de jurisprudences de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme et de la Cour constitutionnelle. Les conséquences de certaines des plus importantes jurisprudences en la mati è re seront donc analysées. La conclusion s’attachera à envisager quelquesévolutions possibles pour l’avenir, par exemple en ce qui concerne un droit de la filiation plus neutre sur le plan du genre.
INTRODUCTION
Belgian parentage legislation has evolved significantly over the past half-century, in response to a series of social as well as scientific changes. Crucial trends, such as the ever-increasing social equality between women and men, the social acceptance of children born out of wedlock, the consecration of the child’s best interests standard, medically assisted reproductive technologies, the opening of marriage to same-sex couples, and the (legal) recognition of transgender persons, have put pressure on Belgian parentage law to evolve in line with these developments. What follows will provide a concise overview of the most important changes that characterise the history of Belgian parentage law, both in terms of the creation and contestation of a parentage bond, and the specific foundations of parentage law.
BEFORE 1987
Before 1987, Belgian family law, enshrined in the Belgian Civil Code, 1 was characterised by an indissoluble connection between marriage, natural procreation and the subsequent establishment of a parentage bond. The law of filiation granted parenthood to two parents: the mother and father, who were married, and had created a biological blood bond with their born child. The nineteenth-century legislator put forward an undeniable connection between sexual intercourse, and the biophysiological bond and genetic bond, as well as the social bond, between the parents and their child. If a child was born within a matrimonial context, the inclusion of the mother’s name on the birth certificate perpetuated a legal parentage bond. Moreover, the Civil Code offered no possibility of contesting parentage on the mother’s side.
China 50-Year Retrospective: Divorce Law Practice under Chinese-Characteristic Judicial Philosophy
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- By Zhu Fan, Lu Xiaobei
- Edited by Robin Fretwell Wilson, University of Illinois, June Carbone, University of Minnesota
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- International Survey of Family Law 2023
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- Intersentia
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- 03 April 2024
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- 31 October 2023, pp 123-142
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Issue du système politique et juridique chinois, la philosophie judiciaire chinoise est une composante de la culture nationale. Au c œur du mode judiciaire de gouvernance sociale, la philosophie judiciaire chinoise cherche à servir l’ensemble de la société par une justice dynamique et à donner au peuple un sentiment d’équité et de justice à travers le processus judiciaire.
L’étude de la pratique du droit du divorce au cours du dernier demi-siècle montre que la philosophie judiciaire chinoise a eu une influence sur celle-ci à tous les niveaux : tant du point de vue macro que micro, du général au point particulier et aussi bien quant à la révision et a l’interprétation du droit du divorce que quant à la procédure de divorce.
La pratique du droit est guidée par les politiques judiciaires, ces dernières faisant écho à l’opinion politique et publique et remédiant aux lacunes de la législation dans la gouvernance sociale.
Grâce à l’orientation et à l’influence des politiques judiciaires, la pratique judiciaire chinoise en matière de divorce a permis de concrétiser la liberté matrimoniale, d’atténuer la contradiction entre la volonté du peuple et le concept dit de « l’idéal » et de réaliser une unification harmonieuse des fonctions d’orientation de la loi et de gouvernance sociale.
Simply going through the text of The Marriage Law or The Civil Code of the PRC is not enough to understand the Chinese divorce legal system. It can even be said that divorce legal practice, especially judicial practice, is the main body of the Chinese divorce legal system. By reviewing more than half a century of Chinese divorce law practice, this chapter not only shows readers the changes in the Chinese divorce legal system, but also the judicial philosophy with Chinese characteristics, and the unique rule-of-law mode.
DIVORCE LEGAL PRACTICE FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW CHINA TO 1980
LEGISLATIVE CHARACTERISTICS AND DIVORCE SYSTEM OF THE MARRIAGE LAW 1950
With the establishment of New China in 1949, the existing laws in the Republic of China were repealed, and The Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China 1950 (hereinafter referred to as the Marriage Law 1950) was drafted and published, totalling 27 articles.