法律英语教案(全)

1盐城师范学院经济法政学院法律英语（电子教案打印稿）任满军主讲二〇一六年秋学期2Lesson1AnUnwrittenConstitution（TheAmericanConstitution）NoonecanwriteaboutordiscusstakingaccountofadocumentwhichistheAmericanlegalsystemseriouslywithoutafewyearsshortofits200thbirthday:theAmericanConstitution.TheConstitutionwasratifiedin1787,whichmakesittheoldestwrittenconstitutionstillinforce.Itiscertainlythemostlegallyactive.Itisnot,ofcourse,exactlythewayitwasin1787.TheConstitutionhasbeenamendedtwentysixtimes;someoftheamendments(theFourteenth,forexample)havebeenextraordinarilyimportant.Butwhenweconsiderhowtheworldhaschangedsince1787,twentysixamendments’donotseemlikealot.TwelveofthesehadbeenaddedtotheConstitutionby1804;therehavebeenonlyfourteensince.Anoteofcaution:whenwetalkabouttheinfluenceoreffectoftheConstitution,wemustrememberthattheConstitutionisonlyapieceofpaperbyitself.Thereisnomagicinwordsandphrases.ItisnottheAmericanConstitutionthatispowerful,buttheconstitutionalsystem.Itisasystemmadeup,first,ofpublicattitudestowardtheConstitution,andsecond,ofbehaviorpatternsandinstitutionsthathavegrownuparoundtheConstitution.TheConstitutionitself,importantasitis,wellcraftedasitis,couldnotandcannotaccountfortheconstitutionalsystem.Theexperienceofothercountriesprovesthispoint.Dozensofcountrieshavewrittenconstitutions;butsomeofthesearebadjokesplayedonthepublic.TheconstitutionoftheSovietUnion,forexample,hasasmanyglittering,noblephrasesasanyother.Itpromisesallsortsoflibertiesandrights.ButithasverylittletodowithlivinglaworthestructureofpowerintheSovietstate.Inthisregard,theSovietconstitutionhasplentyofcompany.Ontheotherhand,theBritishhavenowrittenconstitution,nofirmguaranteesofliberty.Parliamentintheoryisutterly3supreme-morepowerfulthantheSovietstateis,onpaper.YetBritainisademocraticcountry,andtheruleoflawisashealthythereasinalmostanystate.Whateverthesituationinothercountries,inthiscountryconstitutionalgovernmentisastrongforcetobereckonedwith.ItispartofthefabricofAmericanlife.TheAmericanConstitutionislivinglawbecauseitisenforced;theRussianconstitutionisnot.Someoftheenforcementcomesthroughthecourts,bymeansofjudicialreview.Thecourtsarenottheonlyguardiansoftheconstitutionalsystem,buttheyareapowerfulandimportantone.Indeed,whenpeopletalkabouttheConstitutionaslivinglaw,theyusuallymeandoctrinesandunderstandingsthatcourtshaveinvented,developed,andspread.ThesedoctrinesandunderstandingsmayberootedinthetextoftheConstitution(andintheorytheymustbe).ButtheFoundingFatherswouldhardlyrecognizethem.WhatwouldJeffersonsayifheweretoldthatundertheprotectionoftheFirstAmendment,amagazinecanprintpicturesofnakedpeoplemakinglove?WhatwouldhemakeoftheargumentthatthedeathpenaltyviolatestheEighthAmendment'?Or,forthatmatter,thatthecommerceclauseallowsWashingtontotellfarmershowmanypeanutstheycangrow?TheConstitution,inshort,iswhatthejudgessayitis,asChiefJusticeCharlesEvansHughesoncebluntlyputit.Whattheysayissaidinthecontextofactualcases.Actualcasesariseoutofrealdisputesbetweenreallitigants.Theyarealwaysaproductoftheirtimes.Theyreflectthesocialissuesoftheday,andthustheseissuesaretheimmediatesourceofconstitutionallaw.Thisisabasicfactofourconstitutionalsystem.Itisimportantnottostressjudgesandcourtsunduly.Constitutionalbehaviorismorethanjudicialbehavior.Constitutionallawbeginsoutsidethecourt-room:itbeginswithclaimsofconstitutionalright.Also,traditionsofbehaviorandunderstandingexistthatareindependentofjudgesandcourts.TheFirstAmendmentguaranteesfreedomofspeech;4sodoallthestateconstitutions.YettheSupremeCourtdidnotdecideanimportantfreespeechcaseuntilSchenckv.UnitedStates.Schenckwasconvictedofviolatingthe1917EspionageActduringtheFirstWorldWar.Schenckwasopposedtothewarandmailedadocumentouttodraftersattackingthewarandthedraft.Bythen,theFirstAmendmentwasoveracenturyold.Yetthefederalcourtshadsaidalmostnothingaboutthemeaningandlimitsoffreedomofspeech.Duringthoseyears,thefederalgovernmenttookmanyactionswhichwouldbeconsideredgrossviolationsofourrightstoday.Ontheotherhand,therewasnevergeneralcensorshipofthepressduringpeacetime.Wide-openpoliticaldebatewasalwayspossible,onascalethatfewcountriesachieveeventoday.Freedomofspeech,then,waspartofourbasictradition.Theessentialpointisthis:constitutionalismismorebehaviorthantheory,atanygiventime.Butoneshouldlookattheory,too.TheplacetobeginiswiththeConstitutionitself.Itsbasicideaissimple.TheConstitutionisthesupremelawoftheland.Itisthehighestauthority.Noperson,andnobranchofgovernment-notthepresident,notCongress,certainlynotthecornerpoliceman-hastherighttosettheConstitutionaside;itswordsanditsrulesarelaw.ThecourtsareguardiansoftheConstitution.Theyhavetherighttocheckunconstitutionalactions-todeclarethemnullandvoid.Thisisthefamouspowerofjudicialreview.InMarburyv.Madison(1803),Thegreatchiefjustice,JohnMarshall,firstexercisedthismightypoweragainstanactoftheUnitedStatesCongress.Theissuewasatechnicalone:didtheSupremeCourthavethepowertoissueacertainkindoflegalwrit,calledamandamus,againstthesecretaryofstate?AnactofCongressgavethempowertoissuesuchawrit;buttheConstitution(asMarshallreadit)restrictedtheS