Author Description

Courts have an important role to play in the protection of fundamental rights. There is, however, no universally accepted rule of constitutional law or constitutional doctrine which determines to which extent courts have a power to review legislative decisions or acts of government. In this lecture, the main models which are in use in different legal systems are discussed: Sovereignty of Parliament and Judicial Review. Is a new mixed model evolving? What is the importance of the relationship between national and international constitutional norms in this respect? And what can be learned from the Dutch and European experiences? Roel de Lange (1954) is Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law and director of Human Rights Research at Erasmus Law School, Erasmus University Rotterdam.