Thursday 18 October 2012 at 18:00
The Foundation for Law, Justice and Society
Courts as Representatives
Speaker: Andras Sajo, Judge, European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg
Venue: Manor Road Social Sciences Building Lecture Theatre
Supreme and constitutional courts are often accused of illegitimate activism and incursions into domains reserved constitutionally to legislation, on the grounds that they are unelected bodies, unrepresentative of the people, and therefore unresponsive to social problems.
Representation remains a problematic concept in democracy. In which sense, if at all, should courts be representative? If courts cannot be representatives of the population, how do they contribute to representative democracy?
András Sajó, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights will address this important issue of judicial legitimacy at a time of growing public distrust in the representativeness of the political system, and legislation in particular. The lecture will introduce ideas that will be further explored in a panel discussion and academic workshop the following day.
For more information please see the event website
Organised by The Foundation for Law, Justice and Society
