rule of law in shadow of giant.pdf

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1、TheRuleofLawintheShadowoftheGiant:TheHongKongExperience*TheHonSirAnthonyMasonACKBE**AbstractTheBasicLaw,constitutingtheHongKongSpecialAdministrationRegion,drawsauniquedistinctionbetweenthepoweroffinalinterpretationandthepoweroffinaladjudication.Unlikecommonlawjurisdictions,authoritativeinterpret

2、ationisinvestedoutsidethenationalandlocalcourtsystemsintheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalPeople’sCongress.Theapproachmarksacleardeparturefromthetraditionalseparationofpowersintegraltotheruleoflawinacommonlawsystem.Yetitdoesnotnecessarilyfollowthatiterodesthevaluesthatthetraditionalconceptionofthe

3、ruleoflawisdesignedtosupport.Thisarticleexaminesthescopeoftheinterpretivepower,thecharacteroftheStandingCommitteeandthefrequencyandwayinwhichthepowerisexercisedtodeterminethelegaleffectofStandingCommitteeinterpretationofHKSARCourts.Itconcludesthatdespitethepotentialtensionsinherentissuchasystem,

4、theprovisionsoftheBasicLawensurethatthedecisionsofHKSARCourtsarerespected,eveniftheirinterpretationsonoccasiongiveway.TheRuleofLawTheruleoflawisaconceptwhichhasdefieddefinition.ProfessorBrianTamanahahasdescribeditas‘anexceedinglyelusivenotion’1givingrisetoa‘rampantdivergenceofunderstandings’.Yet

5、,asLordBinghamofCornhillhaspointedout,theconcepthasbeenemployedinjudgmentsbyeminentjudgesasonewhichhassubstantiveandproceduralcontentandhasbeenreferredtointheConstitutionalReformAct2005(UK)andininternationalinstrumentsofhigh*ThisarticleisanadaptationofaspeechmadebySirAnthonyMasonaspartoftheSydne

6、yLawSchool’s‘DistinguishedSpeakersProgram’on30June2011.**SirAnthonyMasonisaformerChiefJusticeoftheHighCourtofAustraliaandhasbeenaNon-PermanentJudgeoftheHongKongCourtofFinalAppealsinceitsestablishmenton1July1997.1BrianTamanaha,OntheRuleofLaw(CambridgeUniversityPress,2004)3.624SYDNEYLAWREVIEW[VOL3

7、3:6232standing.InAustralia,theimportanceoftheconceptwasrecognised3bySirOwenDixonwhenhesaidintheCommunistPartyCasethat‘theruleoflawformsanassumption’onwhichtheAustralianConstitutionisbased.Theruleoflawisacombinationofinterrel