Spring 2012
University of California, Berkeley
Legal Studies 190.2
Comparative Constitutional Law: The case of Israel
101 WURSTER Monday & Wednesday 4:00-5:30
Dr. Daniella Beinisch
Email: dbeinisch@law.berkeley.edu
Office: 472 Boalt Hall
Phone: 510-643-0501
Office hours – Wednesday 11:00-1:00 by appointment
GSR: Hed Ehrlich
Email: hed.ehrlich@berkeley.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 4:30-5:30
Office: 239E Boalt Hall
Overview
The seminar will provide an introduction to the comparative study of constitutional law through
the lens of Israeli constitutional jurisprudence – a jurisprudence built explicitly on the
foundations of a variety of other constitutional systems, reflecting the diversity of approaches to
constitutionalism. Through this comparative framework students will learn basic constitutional
theory as well as explore some of the major constitutional debates in Israeli contemporary law.
The constitutional theory part of the course will discuss the formation of Israeli constitution in
comparison with the structure of other constitutions such as the U.S. Constitution and the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This framework will introduce the central notions of
constitutionalism – the ideas that constitutions can (and should) limit government; the role of the
judiciary in interpreting and enforcing the constitution; and the importance of constitutional
rights. Among the constitutional debates that the class will explore are topics such as freedom of
expression and freedom of association, equality, the right of human dignity, due process, social
rights, freedom of occupation, freedom of religion etc. These topics will also be looked at from a
comparative perspective drawing upon different constitutional regimes such as the Canadian
Charter and the constitution of South Africa.
Student Requirements and Participation:
The course will include lecture and active discussion. Discussion is a large part of the course.
Students will be expected to come to class having completed the readings for that day and be
prepared to discuss them. Participation is an important part of the grade. Participation means
both attending and participating actively.
1
Readings
All reading materials will be available on the course website
Grade Distribution
15% active participation
25% mid-term assignment
60% final exam
Course Structure
Part I - the first part of the course will address the basic constitutional theory, review structural
issues and discuss current comparative constitutional questions.
Part II - the second part of the course will introduce the Israeli legal system and discuss Israeli
constitutional law.
Part III - the third part of the course will focus on specific case studies and current constitutional
debates in Israeli law. Each case study will be discussed trough a comparative perspective.
Mid-Term assignment
The mid-term assignment is aimed at summarizing the first two parts of the course. The students
will actively analyze a few additional constitutions, implementing the theory discussed in class.
For this assignment the students will be divided to pairs or small groups. Each group will be
required to analyze a constitution that was not discussed in class, submit a short paper describing
its conclusions and present the analysis to the class. The groups will work on this assignment in
class (with guidance from instructors) and get another week to work at home before they present
their conclusions to the class and submit the paper.
Final Exam
Take home exam.
Schedule
I – Comparative Constitutional law
1. Course overview + Introduction to Comparative Constitutional Law (Wed. 1/18)
Cass R. Sunstein, Constitutionalism and Secession, 58 University of Chicago L. Rev. •
633, 636-643 (1991)
Mark Tushnet, Book Review: The Universal and the Particular in Constitutional law: •
an Israeli Case Study, 100 Columbia L. Rev, 1327 (2000)
2. Constitutional Law (Mon. 1/23)
Donald S. Lutz, Principles of Constitutional Design, (Cambridge U. Press, 2006), p. 1- •
25
2
Edward Schneier, Crafting Constitutional Democracies: The Politics of Institutional •
Design, (Rowman &Littlefield Publishers, 2006), chapters 1-2, p. 1-34
3. Comparative Constitutional Law (Wed. 1/25)
Lorraine E. Weinrib, Constitutional Conceptions and Constitutional Comparativism, in •
Defining the Field of Comparative Constitutional Law (Westport, Connecticut:
Praeger, 2002) p. 3
Vicki C. Jackson "Constitutional Comparisons: Convergence, Resistance, Engagement" •
119 Harv. L. Rev. 109 (2005) skim
4. Judicial Review Models and Implementation (Mon. 1/30)
Charles F. Abernathy, Law in the United States (Thomson), p. 138-150 (Marbury case •
and notes).
Michael W. McConnell, The Story of Marbury v. Madison: Making Defeat Look Like •
Victory, in Constitutional law Stories (2nd Edition, ed. Michael C. Dorf, Foundation Press,
2009) p. 14-31.
5. Judicial Review (Wed. 2/1)
Mark Tushnet, Marbury v. Madison Around the World, 71 Tenn. L. Rev. 251 (2004) •
6. The American Constitution (Mon. 2/6)
Guest Lecturer Prof. Kenneth Bamberger, Berkeley School of Law. Handouts will be •
distributed in class.
II – Israeli Constitutional Law
•
•
7. Introduction to the Israeli Legal System (Wed. 2/8):
Aharon Barak, Some Reflections on the Israeli Legal System and Its Judiciary, v. 6.1
Electronic Jur. of Com. L., (2002)
Suzie Navot, The Constitutional Law of Israel (Kluwer Law, 2007), General Introduction
pp. 19-25.
8. Constitutional Values - the early days of the state (Mon. 2/13)
The Declaration of Independence (will be posted on bSpace) •
HCJ 73/53, "Kol Ha'am" Co. LTD v. Minister of Interior; (1953), 7 PD 871. [21], skim •
9. Constitutional Values - the early days of the state (Wed. 2/15)
HCJ 73/53, "Kol Ha'am" Co. LTD v. Minister of Interior; (1953), 7 PD 871. [21] •
Mark Tushnet, Book Review: The Universal and the Particular in Constitutional law: •
an Israeli Case Study, 100 Columbia L. Rev, 1327 (2000) 1327-1332; 134110. Constitutional Law before and after 1992 (Wed .2/22)
Daphne Barak-Erez, From an Unwritten to a Written Constitution: The Israeli Challenge •
in American Perspective, 26 Colum. Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 309-355 (1995)
3
Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty
Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation
•
•
11. The Constitutional Revolution (Mon. 2/27)
CA 6821/93 United Mizrahi Bank Ltd. v. Migdal Cooperative Village, 49(4) P.D. 222 •
12. Review: Israeli Constitutional Law (Wed 2/29)
Suzie Navot, The Constitutional Law of Israel (Kluwer Law, 2007), Part II, Ch. 5, s. 2 •
Judicial Review, p. 156-167.
13. In-class work on mid-term projects (Mon 3/5)
Each group will work on it’s own materials according to its assignment. •
14. Mid-term project presentations (Wed 3/7)
III – Comparative View on Current Constitutional Debates: Israel and …
15. Freedom of Speech and Its Limits – Hate Speech (Mon 3/12, Wed 3/14)
For Monday 3/12:
Michael Rosenfeld, Hate Speech in Constitutional Jurisprudence: a Comparative •
Analysis, 24 Cardozo. L. Rev. 1523 (2003)
Abigail Levin, The Cost of Free Speech: Pornography, Hate Speech, and Their •
Challenges to Liberalism, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), Chapter 8, p. 176-184
For Wednesday 3/14:
Miriam Gur-Arye, Can Freedom of expression Survive Social Trauma: The Israeli •
Experience, 13 Duke J. Comp. & Int'l L. 155 (2003) p. 166- 202
Mordechai Kremnitzer & Khalid Ghanayim, Incitement, Not Sedition, Position Paper, •
The Israeli Democracy Institute, (Aug 2002), p. 51-65, 67-69 (Germany), 76 77
(Germany) - skim
16. Freedom of Speech and Its Limits – Obscenity and Pornography, (Mon 3/19)
Abigail Levin, The Cost of Free Speech: Pornography, Hate Speech, and Their •
Challenges to Liberalism, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), Chapter 8, p. 184-195
Justin A. Giordano, The United States Constitution’s First Amendment vs. The Canadian •
Charter of Rights and Freedoms: A Comparative Analysis of Obscenity and Pornography
as Forms of Expression, 26 N.C. Cent. L. J. 71 (2004)
17. National Security and Human Rights (Wed 3/21)
Kent Roach, Must We Trade Rights for Security? The Choice Between Smart, Harsh or •
Proportionate Security Strategies in Canada and Britain, 27 Cardozo L. Rev. 2151
(2006), 2151-2155, 2172-2187
Martha Minow, Tolerance in an Age of Terror, 16 S. Cal. Interdis. L. J. 453 (2007)
•
4
18. National Security - Torture and Human Dignity (Mon. 4/2)
Mordechai Kremnitzer & Re'em Segev, The Legality of Interrogational Torture: a •
Question of Proper Authorization or a Substantive Moral Issues?, 34 Isr. L. Rev. 509
(2000), 516-530
Aharon Barak, A Judge on Judging: The Role of a Supreme Court In a Democracy, 116 •
Harv. L. Rev. 19 (2002-2003), Part VI p. 148-160
HCJ 4764/04, Physicians for Human Rights v. IDF Commander in Gaza, [2004] IsrLR, •
200
18. Gender Equality, (Wed 4/4, Mon. 4/9,)
For Wednesday 4/4:
Vicki C. Jackson, Transnational Discourse, Relational Authority and the US Court: •
Gender Equality, 37 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 271, (2003), 271-282, 345-361
For Monday 4/9
HCJ 4541/94, Miller v. Minister of Defense, [1995-6] IsrLR 1, p, 5-24, 40-61 •
Deborah Thompson Eisenberg, Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes: Lessons for the Legal Quest •
for Equal Pay, 46 N. Eng. L. Rev. 229, (2012), 231-255 skim
19. Equality and Sexual Orientation (Wed. 4/11)
HCJ 721/94, El-Al Israel Airlines v. Danielowitz, [1992-4] IsrLR 478 •
Pierre de Vos, A Judicial Revolution? The Court-Led Achievement of Same-Sex •
Marriage in South Africa, 4 Utrecht L. Rev. 162, (2008)
Peter W. Hogg, Canada: The Constitution and Same-Sex Marriage, 4 I·CON, 712 (2006) •
20. Social Rights (Mon 4/16, Wed. 4/18)
Madhav Khosla, Making Social Rights Conditional: lessons from India, 8 I-CON, 739 •
(2010)
Mark Tushnet, Social Welfare Rights and the Forms of Judicial Review, 82 Tex. L. Rev. •
1895 (2004)
HCJ 2599/00, Yated v. The Ministry of Education, [2002-3] IsrLR, 57 •
21. Group rights - Religious communities, Ethnic and National Minorities (Mon. 4/23, Wed.
4/25)
Manh Kumar Sinha, Minority Rights: A Case Study of India, 12 Int'l J. Minority & Group •
Rts. 355 (2005), 355-359, 363-374
Ilan Saban, Appropriate Representation of Minorities: Canada's two Types Structure and •
the Arab Israeli Minority in Israel, 24 Penn St. Int'l L. Rev. 563 (2006).
5