CONTENT

FOREWORD, Allan R. Brewer-Carías

I.B.   THEORIE GENERALE DU DROIT/GENERAL LEGALTHEORY

- L’INDEPENDENCED’UNE ÉLITE MÉRITOIRE: LE GOUVERNEMENTS DES JUGES ET LA DÉMO-CRATIE / THEINDEPENDENCE OF A MERITO-RIOUS ELITE: THE GOVERNMENT OF JUDGE AND DEMOCRACY

THE GOVERNMENT OF JUDGES AND DEMOCRACY.

THE TRAGIC SITUATION OF THE VENEZUELAN JUDICIARY

Allan R. Brewer-Carías

-            L’EFFET PROSPECTIF DES DÉCISIONS DE JUSTICE / JUDICIAL RULINGS WITHPROSPECTIVE EFFECTS

“JUDICIAL RULINGS WITH PROSPECTIVEEFFECT”

I. ..... COULDYOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE HOW DOES THE CONCEPT OF PRECEDENT OPERATE IN YOUR LEGALSYSTEM? IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR PROVISION ESTABLISHING PRECEDENT? ARE THEREPRACTICAL, LEGAL OR CONSTITUTIONAL RULES ON THIS MATTER?

II. .... WHATIS THE STATUS OF THE JUDGE-MADE LAW IN YOUR LEGAL SYSTEM? IS THERE ANY THEORYTHAT DESCRIBES JUDICIAL II? RULINGS IN AN ANALOGOUS MANNER AS DECLARATORYTHEORIES? WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE JOINT EFFECT OF LAW AND PRECEDENT ASSOURCES OF LAW?

III. ... INYOUR LEGAL SYSTEM, WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS RELATED TO JURISPRUDENCE THAT DERIVEFROM THE CASE LAW AND THE RULES OF PRECEDENT, IN PARTICULAR THOSE EMERGING FROMCOURTS ACTING AS LAWMAKERS, IN WHICH BOTH CATEGORIES (CASE LAW AND PRECEDENTS)HAVE NOT BEEN CONFRONTED?

IV. ... HAVEJUDICIAL RULINGS WITH RETROACTIVE EFFECT BEEN CRITICIZED IN YOUR JURISDICTION?SINCE WHEN? BY WHOM? LIKE IN FRANCE, HAS THIS SITUATION LED TO THE CREATION OFWORKING GROUPS INTENDED TO DISCUSS THE SETTING OF LIMITS TO THE RETROACTIVEEFFECT OF JUDICIAL RULINGS?

V. .... HASTHE TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS PROSPECTIVE OVERRULING BEEN USED BY COURTS IN YOURCOUNTRY? BY WHAT COURTS? ON WHAT CRITERIA? ON WHAT BASIS? HAS IT BEEN APPLIEDIN AN IMPLICIT OR AN EXPLICIT MANNER? COULD YOU DEFINE PROSPECTIVE OVERRULINGIN A GENERAL MANNER FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF YOUR JURISDICTION AND TELL WHATSITUATIONS ARE DEALT WITH BY THE SAID TECHNIQUE?

VI. ... BYWHAT COURTS? ON WHAT BASIS? TO WHAT EXTENT? COULD YOU DEFINE THE TERMPROSPECTIVE OVERRULING IN A MORE GENERAL MANNER FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF YOURJURISDICTION AND TELL WHAT SITUATIONS ARE DEALT WITH BY SAID TECHNIQUE?

VI. ... INYOUR JURISDICTION, HAVE COURTS EVER REFERRED TO CIRCUMSTANCES (CONTEXT), THEUSE OF WHICH WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AS A GUIDE, OR, ON THE CONTRARY, HAVE THEYRECOMMENDED TO REFRAIN FROM USING THIS TECHNIQUE (IN THE LAST CASE, THE EXAMPLEPRESENTED IS PREVENTING AN INDIVIDUAL FROM CLAIMING THE VIOLATION OF HIS HUMANRIGHTS)? HAS THE TIME AT AND THE TERMS UNDER WHICH THE OVERRULING MAY HAVEEFFECT BEEN ALSO ESTABLISHED?

 VII.. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES ANDDISADVANTAGES OF THE PROSPECTIVE OVERRULING, WHICH HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN YOURJURISDICTION?

 VIII. HAS THE ARGUMENT THAT PROSPECTIVE OVERRULINGSHOULD NOT BE USED WHEN A DECISION IS EXCLUSIVELY INTENDED TO “ESTABLISH ASTATUTE” BEEN ALLEGED IN YOUR COUNTRY?

 IX. .. HAS IT BEEN SAID IN THE SYSTEM THATYOU REPRESENT THAT PROSPECTIVE OVERRULING TRANSFORMS JUDGES IN “DISGUISEDLEGISLATORS”?

X. .... BIBLIOGRAPHY

I.C.   DROIT COMPARÉ ET UNIFICATION DU DROIT /COMPARATIVE LAW AND UNIFICATION OF LAWS

-             LECONTRÔLE ET LA RECONNAISSANCE DES SENTENCES ARBITRALES ÉTRANGERES – L’APPLICA-TIONDE LA CONVENTION DE NEW YORK PAR LES JURIDICTIONS NATIONALES / RECOGNITION ANDENFORCEMENT OF FOREIGN ARBITRAL AWARDS: THE APPLICATION OF THE NEW YORKCONVENTION BY NATIONAL COURTS

RECOGNITION AND ENFORCEMENT OFFOREIGN

ARBITRAL AWARDS: THEAPPLICATION OF THE

NEW YORK CONVENTIONBY NATIONAL COURTS

II.B. DROIT INTERNATIONAL PRIVE / PRIVATEINTERNATIONAL LAW

-            INFORMATION ET PREUVE DU CONTENU DU DROIT ÉTRANGER /PROOF OF AND INFORMATION ABOUT FOREIGN LAW

PROOF OF AND INFORMATION ABOUT

FOREIGN LAW

- LA CORRUPTION DANS LES CONTRATS COMMER-CIAUXINTERNATIONAUX ET SES EFFETS EN DROIT PRIVE / THE CIVIL LAW EFFECTS OFCORRUPTION IN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS

THE CIVIL LAWEFFECTS OF CORRUPTION IN

INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS

EugenioHernández-Bretón and Claudia Madrid Martínez

III.A.   DROITCOMMERCIAL / COMMERCIAL LAW

CURRENT CHALLENGES FACED BYCOMPANIES

(SOCIEDADESANÓNIMAS) IN VENEZUELA

-specialreference to their regulation under business law-

IV.B. DROIT CONSTITUTIONNEL /CONSTITUTIONAL LAW

- LE RECOURS AUXPRÉCÉDENTS ÉTRANGERS PAR LE JUGE CONSTITUTIONNEL / FOREIGN PRECEDENTS INCONSTITUTIONAL LITIGATION

LE RECOURS AUX PRÉCÉDENTS ÉTRANGERS

PAR LE JUGE CONSTITUTIONNEL

IV.D. LIBERTÉS PUBLIQUES / HUMAN RIGHTS

-LES DROITS SOCIAUX ET ECONOMIQUES EN TANT QUE DROITSFONDAMENTAUX / SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS AS FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

SOCIAL RIGHTS AS FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND

ITS JUSTICIABILITY