legal reasoning 11_2_2015

8/9/2019 Legal reasoning 11_2_2015

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L e g a l r e a s o n in g a n d s t e r e o t y p e s i n t h e c a slaw from a comparative law perspective

B y E le n a F a lle t t i


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Pattern of judgments

● Civil law systems- French model : le juge est-il le bouche de la loi - German model : describing the complexity ofthe legal reasoning according to theirphilosophical and systematic tradition

● Common law systems : detailed legal

reasoning according to the distinguishingprinciple


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The stereotype of nature


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● Nature as tradition● Italian constitutional court's decision 13 !"#1


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● Italian $ourt of$assation's decision%1 %!"#1" disputed

the idea that sexdifference is a pre-re&uisite of marriageaccording to rticleNo( 1" )$*+concept of family life


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● 1222: *ouse of ordsabout the term of4spouse5:

resisting thetemptation to changea bad la6 by gi/ing a

ne6 linguistic t6ist

● "##%: *ouse of ords

Procreati/e potentialis not a prere&uisite

7ecurity of tenure forthe sur/i/or of thecouple is a legitimatepurpose of a socialnature


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● "#13 897$:religiousbeliefs!sexual self

determination● "#1% ) $

4indecent5 - 4insulting5beha/iour bet6eenser/ant prisoners(

● "#13 897$ “Continuing legacyof those centuriesof discrimination,

persecution even,still going on in

many parts of theworld”


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Parenthood, religion and same-sexissues

● "#13 Italian 7upreme $ourtof $assation:

● n 4aggressi/e5 ;uslimfather, a homosexual mother

and a shoc


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Parenthood, religion and same-sexissue

● "#1% >u/enile $ourt of+ome: *omosexualparenthood is a di/ergentparenthood but e&ually

healthy and 6orthy

● "#11 $ourt of ?irst Instance ofTurin: express reference to theconcepts of father, mother,husband and 6ife fortraditional heterosexualconcept of family members

● "#1% $ourt of ppeal of Turinthe parent-child relationshipallo6s se/eral figures: the

biological mother, the socialmother, the genetic father orother social figures


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Parenthood, religion and same sex-issues

● "#13 ) *$: doublestereotypical prejudice

- ethnic 0+omadiscrimination suffered bythe parents- discrimination allegedby the parentsthemsel/es against thehomosexual fosterparents

● >ustice ;unby: “The parents' views, whetherreligious, cultural, secularsocial, are entitled to

respect but cannot bedeterminative. They havemade their life in the !and cannot impose theirown views either on thelocal authority or on thecourt”.


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legal reasoning 11_2_2015

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