N°8 – Constitutional Review in France

Editorial – Camille Broyelle, Professor at the University Panthéon-Assas (Paris-II) and Wanda Mastor, Professor at the University of Toulouse Capitole (Toulouse-I)

I. THE BEGINNINGS OF CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW

A. BEFORE THE THIRD REPUBLIC

1. Constitution of 22 Frimaire, year VIII (Title II – The Sénat conservateur [conserving Senate])

2. Constitution of 2 December 1852 (Title IV – The Senate)

3. Droit constitutionnel [Constitutional Law], PUF, 2nd ed., 1998, no. 125 et seq., p. 198 et seq. – Elisabeth Zoller

4. Democracy in America, Chapter VI, Judicial power in the United States and its influence on political society, Pagnerre, 1848, p. 157 et seq. – Alexis de Tocqueville

5. History of the United States, vol. III, Paris, Charpentier, 1866, p. 471 et seq. – Edouard Lefebvre de Laboulaye

6. The twin-track genesis of constitutional justice in France, RDP 2007, p. 753 – François Saint-Bonnet

B – THE THIRD REPUBLIC

1. Contribution to the general theory of the State vol. 1, Sirey, 1920, p. 490 (and Article 3 of the Law of 25 February 1875) – Raymond Carré de Malberg (1861-1935)

2. From the Legislative State to the rule of law. The evolution of conceptions of French theories of public law 1879-1914, Economica, 1992, p. 216 et seq. – Marie-Joëlle Redor

3. Austria: Constitutional justice and High Constitutional court, 1928, reprinted Économica, 1986, p. 12 et seq. – Charles Eisenmann (1903-1980)

4. The Constitutional Law Courts, Dalloz, coll. “Connaissance du droit”, 2011, p. 8 – Louis Favoreu and Wanda Mastor

C – AFTER WWII

1. Constitution of 27 October 1946, Articles 91, 92 and 93

2. Elementary Manual of Constitutional Law, Sirey, 1949, p. 554 – Georges Vedel, (1910-2002)

II. THE INTRODUCTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW

A – REVIEW BEFORE PROMULGATION

1. CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW OF THE LAW, A MEANS OF SUBORDINATING PARLIAMENT

a. Constitution of 4 October 1958, Articles 56 et seq.

b. Order no. 58-1067 of 7 November 1958 having the value of an institutional law on the Constitutional Council (Chapter II: Statements of conformity with the Constitution)

Address before the general assembly of the Council of State (27 August 1958), excerpts (in M. Duverger, Constitutions et documents politiques, PUF, coll. ‘thémis’, 1986) – Michel Debré

Le Conseil constitutionnel [The Constitutional Council], Montchrestien, 1992, p. 28 – Pierre Avril and Jean Gicquel

2. CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW, A MEANS OF PROTECTING FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOM

a. Decision no. 71-44 DC of 16 July 1971, Freedom of Association – Constitutional Council

b. Report prepared in the name of the Committee with responsibility for reviewing constitutional laws, legislation and the general administration of the Republic on Constitutional Bill no. 1181 revising Article 61 of the Constitution (3 October 1974) – M. Krieg, Deputy (Member of the National Assembly)

c. Article 61 of the Constitution of 4 October 1958 as amended by the Constitutional Law of 29 October 1974

The Principle of Constitutionality, Miscellany in Homage to Ch. Eisenmann, Cujas, 1975, p. 33 –

e. – The Constitutional Council, the guardian of positive law or defender of the transcendence of human rights, Pouvoirs, 1988, no. 45, p. 149. – Georges Vedel (1910-2002)

f. Constitutional Law, LGDJ, 2003, 28th ed., p. 772 et seq. – Francis Hamon and Michel Troper

3. CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW PRIOR TO PROMULGATION BY THE COUNCIL OF STATE IN ITS CONSULTATIVE CAPACITY

Article 39 of the Constitution of 4 October 1958 (original version)

B – REVIEW AFTER PROMULGATION

a. The work of the Balladur committee, Committee appointed to consider and make proposals regarding the modernisation and rebalancing of the institutions of the Fifth Republic), Fayard, la Documentation française, 2008, p. 135; pp. 168-176 – Edouard Balladur (chair)

b. Articles 61-1 and 62 of the Constitution of 4 October 1958 which derive from the Constitutional Law of 23 July 2008

c. Institutional Law of 10 December 2009 relating to the application of Article 61-1 of the Constitution

d. Parliament and the Priority Preliminary Ruling on the Issue of Constitutionality, Pouvoirs, 2011, no. 137, p. 73 – Guy Carcassonne (1951-2013)

e. Towards the priority preliminary ruling on the issue of constitutionality, bringing the Constitution closer to the citizen – Guillaume Drago

f. Long live the priority preliminary ruling on constitutionality! The what?, Gazette du Palais, 26 January 2010, no. 26, p. 13 – Dominique Rousseau

g. Questions for the priority preliminary ruling on constitutionality, Revue juridique de l’économie publique, February 2010, p. 2 – Yves Gaudemet