Universität Wien

030410 KU European Legal Method I: How to Work with Precedents (2024S)

2.00 ECTS (1.00 SWS), SPL 3 - Rechtswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Fr 24.05. 10:00-14:00 Seminarraum SEM63 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 6.OG

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Friday 17.05. 10:00 - 14:00 Seminarraum SEM63 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 6.OG
Friday 07.06. 10:00 - 14:00 Hörsaal U13 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, KG1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

An (European) court has decided. Indeed, but what exactly was decided? What is the rule that shall be applied for the future? Most international or European legal systems today are, as to their genuine operation, rather precedent-based system. With limited or no comprehensive codifications within those systems to start with, relying on previous decisions rendered within the respective systems becomes a necessity in order to establish the law and to solve ongoing cases. Whether those previous decisions, handed down in Luxembourg, Strasbourg, the Hague or Geneva, are called “precedents”, “established case law”, or simply “previous decision-making practice” is certainly of some dogmatic interest. It nonetheless changes little in the need for future practitioners in whatever legal profession to reason with precedents.

This course introduces civilian lawyers into the world of precedent-based reasoning. It starts from the assumption that tends not to be acknowledged in some, including Austrian, continental legal systems: precedents do make law, certainly before the European Courts. It seeks to provide them with a basic methodological toolkit for reasoning with previous decisions, in particular in the European and international forum, which operates rather differently to the neat word of codified laws and statutory interpretation. Particular attention is paid to both systems of European law, EU law and the ECHR, underling and explaining the differences to national civilian systems.

The course topics include:
1/ What is a precedent? A comparative introduction into various judicial reasoning styles.
2/ The evolution and the operation of the common law precedent. Identifying a ratio. Following, narrowing, weakening, broadening, distinguishing, overruling a previous precedent.
3/ Reading and interpreting a decision of the Court of Justice.
4/ Case study I (Court of Justice).
5/ Reading and interpreting a decision of the European Court of Human Rights.
6/ Case Study II (European Court of Human Rights).
7/ Reasoning correctly with precedents: the checklist. The typical does and the don’ts.

Assessment and permitted materials

This is an introductory course, open to students of all levels. It is light on theory, focusing more on the practical side of the matter, explained and illustrated by concrete examples and case studies, and developing the necessary skills for correctly reasoning with precedents.

Students will be asked to read (selected and if possible shortened) cases that will form the examples for class discussion.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics

The participants are supposed to read the cases or materials assigned for each class that will form the basis for our in-class discussions. The students are expected to (i) participate in the class discussions and (ii) write a (critical) case note on a recent decision of the CJEU, ECtHR, or any other higher international or national court of your choice, in either English, German, or French.

Reading list

A detailed reading list will be provided in advance. All reading materials will be available electronically.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Tu 26.03.2024 10:45