University of Macau / Faculty of Law

This dissertation provides a theoretically grounded framework for investigating "legal rhetoric." By making a distinction between the discursive elements of a Legal system and the broader rhetorical notion of Law, rhetorical critics can better understand the interdependent relationship between citizens, their legal structures, and their cultures. The Legal system represents the forum in which legal disputes are addressed. In contrast, the Law signifies the principles of justice and fairness that give rise to legal disputes addressed by the Legal system. This dissertation emphasizes the important role that media play in disseminating information about specific legal disputes and providing citizens an opportunity to reflect on which principles of justice and fairness are to be valued. This study specifically examines the text, reasoning, and media coverage of Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger, two U.S. Supreme Court cases related to the University of Michigan's use of racial classifications in its admissions process. By comparing which arguments and rhetorical elements from the Supreme Court's 2003 decisions were reported in the press, this dissertation both demonstrates the rhetorical concepts of the "Law" and the "Legal System" and suggests how citizens and rhetorical scholars can more fully critique legal texts. / text

SUMMARY The key words in this final master degree work “Connection, Purpose and Place of Punishment Enforcement and Criminal Law” are the branch of punishment enforcement law, the branch of criminal law, legal system, punishment, connection of punishment enforcement law and criminal law in legal system. Punishment enforcement law and criminal law make some kind of the aggregate in legal system which regulates all questions connected with investigation of criminal act and realization of the imposed punishment. It is noted that the branch of punishment enforcement law and the branch of criminal law are independent branches of the law in the legal system. They are different by their indications, subject and specific principles but they can’t function isolated from each other and are close related. The branches of punishment enforcement law and criminal law form common state’s legal basis of crime control.

This exegesis interrogates the mental illness Pure Erotomania, the rare delusional disorder which presents with the sufferer having the delusional (and therefore unshakeable) belief that the person they objectify is in love with them. My play Yellow Roses in Fortitude Valley is about one woman's emotional journey as she is relentlessly stalked by a Pure Erotomanic male. It is a fascinating mental illness, which includes all the 'box office type' features, which make it an exciting and frightening subject to write a dramatic work about. It is confusing, illusory, surreal and frightening, but best of all for the writer and audience it is a real human condition. Yellow Roses in Fortitude Valley is written in a style that truthfully represents and portrays the journey and struggle for both the victim and the sufferer. The research undertaken for both the play and exegesis was a hybrid of many overlapping disciplines involved in the current discourse. As a recently diagnosed and recognized disorder, it is still new territory for professionals in the field and for audience members. I believe this makes it an opportune time for an academically researched creative project to enter into current discourse. Previous creative works on this topic, some of which I have interrogated, have approached the issue of stalking as a predator/victim scenario, an unrequited love or a domestic violence situation. I wished to portray the stalking as a mental illness in the form of the psychiatric disorder Erotomania, my approach undertaking to explain victim impact and the prolonged and chronic course of Erotomanic stalking. I also wished to illustrate the underlying themes which I uncovered during my research, being; female victims of sex crimes; dominant patriarchal ideology; and the current interventions in stalking by the legal and mental health systems.

Orientador: Enoque Ribeiro dos Santos / Banca: Ronaldo Lima dos Santos / Banca: Elisabete Maniglia / Resumo: O Direito é uma ciência em constante evolução e adaptação aos anseios sociais em determinado local em certo momento histórico, por isso podemos dizer que estamos falando de uma ciência em construção. Nesse sentido, o Direito não se encontra pronto e acabado, especialmente em países de tradição legiferante como o Brasil, mas se faz renovado a cada dia, com a implementação de novas normas nos mais variados assuntos. No presente trabalho veremos um estudo das recentes alterações legislativas ocorridas no Direito Processual Civil e seus principais reflexos no Direito Processual do Trabalho, através da análise crítica das Leis n.º 10.352/01, n.º 10.358/01, n.º 10.444/02, n.º 11.187/05, n.º 11.232/05, n.º 11.276/06, n.º 11.277/06, n.º 11.280/06 e n.º 11.382/06. No primeiro capítulo, deste estudo, tem-se uma abordagem sobre os princípios e fontes do direito do trabalho como premissas hermenêuticas a nortear e fundamentar os demais capítulos da pesquisa. Na seqüência, encontra-se um capítulo que trata do ordenamento jurídico de maneira genérica, sua autonomia, a noção de sistema e a relação existente entre as disciplinas estudadas; de forma especifica verifica-se a abordagem de questões hermenêuticas, para fundamentação e aplicação das normas do processo civil ao processo do trabalho. Superados as questões propedêuticas dos primeiros capítulos, passa-se a explorar especificamente as alterações efetuadas no Direito Processual Civil, procurando de forma prática e conclusiva demonstrar sua co-relação e eventual utilização no Direito Processual do Trabalho. O estudo nesse capítulo é complementado com referências jurisprudenciais a fim de confrontar o entendimento empossado com a tendência do judiciário ao decidir o caso concreto. O desenvolvimento da presente pesquisa, não procura atender a um único objetivo, mas de maneira geral... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Law is a science in a constant evolution and adaptation to the social cravings in a certain place and in a certain historic moment, because of that we can say we are talking about a science under construction. With that meaning, the Law is not ready and done, especially in countries of legislative tradition like Brazil, but it is renewed at every single day with implementation of new norms about the most varied subjects. This paper shows a study of the recent legislative alterations occurred in the Civil Procedural Law and its main reflexes in the Work Procedure Law through the critical analysis of the Laws nº 10.352/01, nº 10.358/01, nº 10.444/02, nº 11.187/05, nº 11.232/05, nº 11.276/06, nº 11.277/06, nº 11.280/06 and nº 11.382/06. In the study performed in the first chapter, there is an approach about the principles and sources of the labor law as hermeneutic premises to lead and ground the other chapters of the research. In the sequence, there is a chapter about the legal system in a generic way, its autonomy, the notion of system and the relation found in the studied disciplines; in a specific way, an approach of hermeneutic matters is checked to foundation and implementation of the norms of the civil procedure to the labor procedure. Solved the propaedeutic matters of the first chapters, an exploration, specifically in the alterations performed in the Civil Procedural Law, starts to be done; trying to show, in a practical and conclusive way, its correlation and possible use in the Work Procedural Law. The study in this chapter is concluded with jurisprudential references in order to confront the understanding installed with the tendency of the judiciary when deciding the concrete case. The development of the present research does not try to serve an only objective, but in a general way, to show the complexity and the incompleteness of the legal system, in a way... (Complete abstract, click electronic access below) / Mestre

La présente thèse démontre l’existence d’un véritable contrôle juridictionnel du respect par les États membres des droits fondamentaux garantis par l’Union européenne. Elle repose principalement sur le raisonnement selon lequel le contrôle juridictionnel s’est renforcé, en lien avec le processus d’intégration caractérisant le système juridique de l’Union. Le droit français est étudié en tant que droit constitutif de ce système. Historiquement, la Cour de justice a commencé à produire les normes de référence du contrôle par le biais du renvoi préjudiciel. Ce contrôle a émergé progressivement, il a un champ d’application fondé sur celui du droit de l’Union. Ce dernier est, par principe, son périmètre d’exercice. Indissociable de ces bases jurisprudentielles, le contrôle juridictionnel connait un renforcement global qui a pour caractéristique d’être intégratif. Cette évolution s’engage par l’entrée en vigueur du traité de Lisbonne et la force juridique contraignante qu’il confère à la Charte des droits fondamentaux. Il en résulte la consécration du contrôle juridictionnel dans le droit « dispositionnel ». Ce renforcement se poursuit par un élargissement du contrôle, initié par ce traité et produit par différents juges du système juridique de l’Union. Le contrôle opéré par les juges de droit commun se développe incontestablement, tandis que la Cour de justice a peu l’occasion d’intervenir dans le cadre du recours en manquement. De nouveaux organes de contrôle apparaissent avec leurs singularités. Il s’agit du juge constitutionnel et de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme. / This thesis demonstrates the existence of a genuine judicial review of compliance by Member States regarding fundamental rights guaranteed by the European Union. It is based mainly on the reasoning that this control has been reinforced, in line with the integration process characterizing the Union's legal system; French law, as a constituent right of this system, is studied. Historically, the Court of Justice started to produce the reference standards for control by means of the reference for a preliminary ruling, allowing them to progressively emerge, adhering to the scope of EU law. This framework is, in principle, the scope of its exercise. The integrative strengthening of the review, inseparable from these legal bases, entails the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and the binding legal force of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.. The recognition of review in “dispositional” law is a strong illustration of this. It has continued with this expansion, initiated by this treaty, and also brought about by different judges within the Union’s legal system. This has weakened the principle of its exercise within the scope of the Union’s law. Furthermore, this strengthening has been amplified by an overall consolidation of the courts’ review function. Indeed, it’s common law judges – in principle, ordinary national judges – who operate as a review on developments, in particular; a contrario, the Court of Justice has not had much of a chance to do so within the framework of this action, failing to fulfil its obligations. Yet, - the demonstration continues – new review bodies emerge. These will be the constitutional judge, and in the longer term, the European Court of Human Rights.

This thesis discusses the interaction between the concepts of ”justice” (ma‛at) and ”law” (hpw) in ancient Egypt. Ma‛at, one of the earliest abstract terms in human speech, was a central principle and, although no codex of Egyptian law has been found, there is abundant evidence of written law, designed to realise ma‛at on earth. The king, as the highest legal authority, was the nexus between ma‛at and the law. Egyptologists have few sources of knowledge about law and justice in ancient Egypt because the ancient Egyptians used commonplace language in legal documents and they only had a few imprecise technical terms relating to law. For Egyptology to advance, therefore, we need to reappraise its sources. The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant has a strong legal background and should be treated as an additional source of information about how law and justice were perceived and carried out in ancient Egypt. / Classics and Modern European Languages / M.A. (Ancient Languages and Cultures)

[pt] O trabalho consiste em um exame de alguns aspectos da teoria dos sistemas jurídicos desenvolvida por Joseph Raz, notadamente da identidade dos sistemas jurídicos e da individualização de disposições jurídicas. Ao expor suas bases teóricas de forma crítica, e apresentar concepções alternativas propostas por outros autores, especialmente por F. Schauer, resta demonstrado que o caráter peremptório das razões para a ação, tido por Raz como um dos pilares de sua teoria do direito, não só não reflete a maneira como normalmente enxergamos o direito, mas também não compromete sua concepção de Direito. / [en] This work consists on an analysis about some aspects of Joseph Raz theory of legal systems, specially the identity of legal systems and individuation of laws. By exposing critically its theoretic basis and presenting alternative conceptions proposed by others authors, specially F. Schauer, it rests demonstrated that the peremptory character of reasons for action, understood by Raz as one of the basis of his conception of Law, does not reflect the way most people see and understand Law and does not affect Raz Laws conception.

Rethinking Indigenous legal traditions is fundamentally about rebuilding citizenship. The theory underlying this paper is that it is possible to develop a flexible, overall legal framework that Indigenous peoples might use to express and describe their legal orders and laws, so that they can be applied to present-day problems. This framework must be able to, first, reflect the legal orders and laws of decentralized (i.e., non-state) Indigenous peoples, and second, allow for the diverse way that each society’s culture is reflected in their legal orders and laws. In turn, this framework will allow each society to draw on a deeper understanding of how their own legal traditions might be used to resolve contemporary conflicts, complex social injustices, and human rights violations.The Canadian state is not going away and the past cannot be undone. This means that Indigenous peoples must figure out how to reconcile former decentralized legal orders and law with a centralized state and legal system. Any process of reconciliation must include political deliberation on the part of an informed and involved Indigenous citizenry. We have to answer the question, «Who are we beyond colonialism?» / Repensar las tradiciones legales indígenas es fundamental para la reconstrucción del concepto de ciudadanía. La teoría subrayada en este ensayo es que sí es posible desarrollar un flexible marco legal general que los pueblos indígenas deberían usar para expresar y describir sus órdenes legales y derechos, tal es así que pueden ser aplicados a los problemas actuales. Este marco debe ser capaz, primero, de plasmar los ordenamientos legales y los derechos siguiendo la forma descentralizada (esto es, no-estatal) de los pueblos indígenas; y segundo, permitir que las diversas formas de la cultura de cada sociedad sean reflejadas en sus ordenamientos jurídicos y derechos. Este marco permitirá, a su vez, que cada sociedad haga uso de un entendimiento profundo sobre cómo sus tradiciones legales deberían ser usadas para resolver conflictos contemporáneos, injusticias sociales complejas y la violación de derechos humanos.El Estado canadiense no se está debilitando y el pasado tampoco está descartado. Esto significa que los pueblos indígenas deben analizar cómo reconciliar sus antiguos ordenamientos legales y derechos descentralizados con el Estado y el sistema legal centralizados. Cualquiera fuera el proceso de reconciliación debe incluir una deliberación política sobre la ciudadanía indígena informada y comprometida. Tenemos que responder ala pregunta: «¿Quiénes somos nosotros más allá del colonialismo?».

The object of this thesis is to investigate the application of international law in municipal law, and more specifically to focus on international human rights law. A determination of the sources of international human rights law constitutes the point of departure. Treaties are the primary source of international human rights law, followed by customary law. Recent authority indicates that the formation of customary human rights law differs from that of customary international law in general. There are, however, also international documents on human rights not falling within the scope of the traditional sources as embodied in section 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice. Non-binding sources of law, or soft law - most notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - are shown to play an important role in the formation of both treaties and custom and directly influence state practice. Theoretical explanations expounding the application of international law in the domestic law of states are examined, assessing their suitability for effective implementation of international human rights instruments. Since the application of international law in municipal law depends on, and is regulated by rules of domestic law, the relevant rules of legal systems which may, due to historical factors or regional proximity, impact on South Africa, are examined. State practice points to two primary methods of dealing with international law obligations in domestic law, namely transformation (associated with the dualist theory) or direct application (associated with the monist theory). The specific method of incorporation adopted by a state is often closely related to that state's constitutional system. The advantages and disadvantages associated with each particular method are related to the intricacies of individual legal systems. From an internationalist perspective the often misunderstood doctrine of direct application, has the advantage of making the intended protection afforded by human rights treaties to individuals directly enforceable by domestic courts with a minimum of state intervention. The position of international law in South Africa is assessed against this background. South Africa's constitutional history under British rule followed British law requiring legislative transformation of treaty obligations, but permitting customary law to be directly incorporated into common law. The position of international law became constitutionally regulated in South Africa with the introduction of a constitutional democracy. Drafting errors and practical difficulties experienced with the 1993 Constitution, were largely ironed out by the 1996 Constitution. The post-apartheid Constitutions introduced changes and new dimensions compared to the pre-1993 position of international law, including: the consideration of international law when interpreting the constitutionally protected human rights; the involvement of the legislature in the treaty-making process; and provisions for both transformation and direct application of treaties subject to the provisions of the Constitution. Customary international law is confirmed as forming part of South African law, and courts are obliged to interpret legislation in accordance with international law. An analysis of court decisions after 1993 reveals the following broad trends: (i) The impact of international law as part of South African law is still largely overlooked. (ii) The majority of references to international law by the courts are to international human rights agreements and decisions by international tribunals under section 39 of the Bill of Rights. (iii) The distinction between international law and comparable foreign case law, as directed by section 39, is often blurred. (iv) No distinction is made between international hard and soft law when deciding on human rights matters. (v) Courts have refrained from applying international human rights obligations which form part of South African law because they are self-executing or form part of customary international law. (vi) Binding international human rights obligations are only referred to for comparative purposes. (vii) The term "treaty" is interpreted in accordance with the definition of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. The intention to create legally binding obligations is therefore implicit. It has been the policy of the post-apartheid South African government to ratify or accede to the major international human rights agreements as swiftly as possible. The execution of this policy has, however, met with numerous problems. As a result, South Africa has to date not become party to the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. Many treaties to which South Africa is a party have not yet been incorporated into South African law and compulsory reports on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are overdue. Despite the post-apartheid euphoria about the creation of a human rights culture in South Africa and the formal commitment by government to give effect to international human rights instruments, much remains to be done before South Africa can be regarded as formally complying with international human rights standards. / Law / LL. D. (Law)