Pázmány Law Review

František Weyr – Der bedeutendste tschechische Jurist der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts

2025-11-15T13:57:00+00:00

In diesem Artikel wird die herausragende Bedeutung von František Weyr (1879–1951) für die Rechtswissenschaft in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts in der Tschechoslowakei beleuchtet. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf seinem beruflichen Werdegang, seinen wissenschaftlichen Beiträgen und seinem intellektuellen Vermächtnis, wobei insbesondere seine Rolle bei der Entwicklung der normativen Rechtstheorie hervorgehoben wird. Weyr wird als einer der Begründer der Brünner normativen Schule angesehen und leistete einen bedeutenden Beitrag zur Entwicklung der Rechtswissenschaft in den böhmischen Ländern. Er war ein Freund und intellektueller Partner von Hans Kelsen, dessen reine Rechtslehre ihn inspirierte, wobei er dennoch seine eigene Konzeption der rechtlichen Normativität entwickelte. Der Artikel befasst sich auch mit seiner Arbeit an der Masaryk-Universität und seinem öffentlichen Engagement.

Justice Under Party Control: Structure and Personnel of the Czechoslovak Socialist Judiciary (1948–1989)

2025-11-15T13:57:00+00:00

This article explores the judiciary’s structure, personnel, and day-to-day operations in socialist Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1989. Drawing on fragmented archival materials, legislative sources, and select biographical profiles, it reconstructs how judicial authority was subjected to political control, particularly through Party oversight, selective recruitment, and internal discipline mechanisms. The analysis emphasises the regime’s strategic approach to institutional memory, characterised by the systematic destruction, displacement, or failure to preserve judicial records. It further examines the evolution of judicial practice – from the ideological extremism of the early 1950s to the more routine yet still tightly regulated legal environment of the normalisation period. Through the careers of prominent court presidents and judges, the article illustrates how professional advancement was determined not by legal merit but by political loyalty and conformity. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of law as an instrument of governance under state socialism. It addresses the methodological challenges inherent in reconstructing legal history in an environment of archival silence.

Soziale Fragen und das ungarische Kartellgesetz von 1931

2025-11-15T13:57:00+00:00

Infolge der Weltwirtschaftskrise von 1929 brachen die normalen Marktbedingungen zusammen. Dies führte zu einer Reihe von sozialen Problemen, die der Staat angehen musste. Durch die krisenbedingte Verarmung der Bevölkerung wurde es immer schwieriger, sich mit dem Nötigsten zu versorgen, und die übermäßig niedrigen Preise führten zu Massenkonkursen unter den Produzenten. Der Staat führte über die Kartelle Preiskontrollen ein. Er versuchte, Preisbedingungen zu schaffen, die es den Produzenten ermöglichten, wirtschaftlich zu arbeiten, aber auch die Bevölkerung mit dem Nötigsten zu versorgen. Damit sind auch soziale Aspekte zu einem dominierenden Merkmal staatlichen Handelns geworden.

Die Grenzen der Pressefreiheit in den USA

2025-11-15T13:57:00+00:00

Das Recht der Öffentlichkeit auf Information ist eines der Hauptgrundsätze der amerikanischen Gesellschaft. In dem ersten Zusatzartikel des „Bill of Rights" vom Jahre 1791 wird die Pressefreiheit geschützt. Der Kongress soll kein Gesetz erlassen, das die Meinungs- oder Pressefreiheit einschränkt. Während die Vereinigten Staaten versuchen, einen strukturellen Rahmen für den Nachrichtenfluss im Einklang mit demokratischen Grundsätzen zu schaffen, und während die zunehmende Behauptung der Meinungsfreiheit historisch gesehen immer weiter verbreitet ist, gibt es eine wachsende Zahl von Problemen. Aus den Entscheidungen des Obersten Gerichtshofs geht klar hervor, dass die freie Meinungsäußerung in den Vereinigten Staaten durch bestimmte Gesetze und durch die Gerichte eingeschränkt wird. Gesetzgeber und Richter sind allesamt menschliche Wesen, die von der öffentlichen Wahrnehmung, der politischen Stimmung und dem politischen Klima, in dem sie ihre Entscheidungen treffen, beeinflusst werden. Das Land, das einst als Vorbild für eine freie Presse galt, liegt in der jüngsten Rangliste der internationalen Journalistenorganisation Reporters sans frontières (Reporter ohne Grenzen) zur Pressefreiheit auf Platz 57 von 180 Ländern.

Die vorliegende Studie versucht, anhand der Veränderungen im Wertesystem der Gesetzgeber und Rechtspraktiker verschiedener Epochen die Verwirklichung der Meinungsfreiheit in den USA nachzuzeichnen.

Der klassische Rechtsstaat im Nationalstaat contra „Recht ohne Staat” in der Europäischen Union

2025-11-15T13:57:00+00:00

Die Studie vergleicht die rechtstheoretischen Grundlagen des klassischen Rechtsstaats mit dem spezifischen Institutionssystem des EU-Rechts, einer Gemeinschaft ohne Staat. Die Abschnitte zu den fünf thematischen Einheiten sind rechtsdogmatisch angelegt. Der erste fasst den Einfluss der Geisteswissenschaften auf der Grundlage der Monografie von Helmuth Coing zusammen. Die Widersprüche zwischen der allgemeinen, vollkommenen Ordnung des klassischen Naturrechts und den „Bruchlinien" der heutigen Gesellschaft, sowie die zeitgenössische These, dass die Rechtsordnung grundlegender ist als die Privatisierung (die These von Milton Friedmann) zeigen zusammen mit einer Auflistung der Probleme des EU-Rechts die rechtsdogmatischen Fragen auf, die so schnell wie möglich gelöst werden müssen. Vorrangig behandelt werden sollten eine genauere Abgrenzung der Zuständigkeiten der Union von denen der Mitgliedstaaten, sowie eine Stellungnahme z. B. in der Frage des „unbewussten Aspekts der Rechtsetzung durch den Gesetzanwender.“ [Hayek contra Kelsen/ im EU-Gerichtshof.] Was den europäischen Rechtsraum betrifft, so könnte eine Vereinigung der nationalen Verfassungsgerichte der letzte Garant für die Überwindung der Anomalien des postmodernen Rechtsstaates sein.

Infusing Catholicism in Teaching and Writing

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

Catholic law faculty instruct not only the minds of students but also reach their souls. Even during times of crisis, such as the 2020 pandemic, Catholic educators courageously developed solutions to protect the health of students while also nurturing their minds and hearts. This article examines the importance that the Church places on education and research through the guidance offered to Catholic educators by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit received in the Sacrament of Confirmation. By infusing Catholicism in teaching and writing, law faculty share the teachings of Christ with both students and scholars.

Community Engagement

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

This paper explores community engagement as a pedagogical model for teaching social justice in law schools, with a particular focus on Strathmore University in Kenya. Rooted in Catholic social teaching, the university integrates experiential learning into its legal education through service-based learning, community service, and pro bono legal aid. All students at the university, including law students, are required to complete 200 hours of community service. They are further encouraged to participate in the Legal Aid Caravan, one of the many initiatives of the Strathmore Law Clinic, which provides free legal services to marginalised communities. These initiatives enable students to bridge the gap between legal theory and practice while confronting real-world injustices such as land disputes, gender-based violence, and discrimination. The pedagogical model fosters professional skills, including legal research, client care, and leadership, while cultivating moral responsibility, empathy, and a commitment to justice. By engaging with historically underserved populations, students learn to integrate law with moral philosophy, sociology, and economics, thereby deepening their understanding of the rule of law’s contribution to the common good. The article argues that experiential learning through community engagement is vital for shaping ethically conscious lawyers who view law not merely as an instrument, but as a tool for advancing justice and human dignity.

Challenges of Catholic Legal Education in Croatia

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

The text examines the current state of legal education in Croatia, identifies its systemic shortcomings, and presents the innovative approach introduced by the newly established Faculty of Law at the Catholic University of Croatia (CUC). The text explains the key elements of modern and innovative legal education, with particular emphasis on the importance of an individual approach to students. The underlying premise is that legal education should not be reduced solely to the transmission of knowledge about positive law and legal regulations; rather, it should aim to shape legal professionals who are also responsible and ethical members of society.

Teaching Legal Ethics at the Catholic University

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

Across the world, a wide range of concepts and practical approaches have emerged for teaching legal ethics. The specific method adopted by any given law faculty is largely shaped by external regulations governing legal education and by the institution’s own academic traditions. Most commonly, professional ethics are taught within one or more courses dedicated to the ethical standards of the various legal professions.

Catholic universities, however, are guided by an additional framework: the apostolic constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae (1990), which directs them not only to provide professional and academic training, but also to help students cultivate and practise moral principles that inform their entire lives, ultimately leading to personal fulfilment. This perspective aligns closely with the Aristotelian view and with pedagogical theories that regard the teaching of professional ethics as a means of fostering students’ moral character.

From this standpoint, the primary aim of teaching legal ethics is to prepare future lawyers to adopt a strong ethical mindset, to recognise moral dilemmas in their daily work, and to respond to them with conscious and habitual moral reasoning. At the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Pázmány Péter Catholic University, the educational system developed in the mid-1990s reflects this approach. Its curriculum places particular emphasis on virtue ethics, seeking to cultivate and strengthen moral behaviour that shapes and enriches the whole of one’s life.

“How Do I Recognize What is Right?“

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

In the light of the plea for a greater utilisation of Natural Law, as was particularly evident in Pope Benedict XVI's address to the German Bundestag in 2011, this article examines the understanding and significance of Natural Law in the law of the Catholic Church (Canon Law). On the one hand, specifics are developed using the examples of religious freedom and the protection of life, and on the other, their significance from the perspective of the Church's social doctrine is examined. The aim is to outline the internal relationship between Natural Law, Canon Law and the Church's social doctrine.

The Appearance and Role of Rerum Natura in Three Digest Texts

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

This paper explores the role of rerum natura in three pivotal texts from the Digest, demonstrating its function as an interpretative and normative principle in Roman legal thought. By analysing cases involving usufruct, property conflicts over the newborn child of a female slave, and immissiones, the study highlights how Roman jurists integrated objective reality into their legal reasoning. The investigation reveals that rerum natura provided a conceptual bridge between objective reality and positive law, aiding in the resolution of legal disputes. Through exegetical analysis, the paper enhances our understanding of how natura, natural law thinking and positive law eventually intersected in classical jurisprudence, offering valuable insights into the foundational principles of Roman legal tradition.

Regulating the Use of AI in Civil Proceedings

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

The paper addresses several current issues regarding the use of AI in civil justice. It starts from theoretical foundations and addresses the question of how we can define AI, what is the role of AI in today's civil justice system, and what challenges must be overcome when creating legal regulations. The starting point is the need for a clear regulatory framework for the use of Artificial Intelligence systems in civil justice. It presents several legislative techniques (rules granting and/or governing rights; rules establishing prohibitions; rules setting out conditions, requirements and/or obligations.) and the types of legal sources or forms of regulation that can be used in the process of legislation (self-regulation and codes of conduct; soft law; hard law). It also includes a comparative legal perspective (with Spanish and English examples).

Digitalization of Civil Procedure and AI: the European Perspective

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

The study is a written version of the author's presentation given at the international conference "AI and Law" organized at Pázmány Péter Catholic University on January 26, 2024. The author explains the current initiatives of the EU in the field of digital justice and how the Commission has been able to take the technological lead in cross-border digital judicial cooperation. The paper demonstrates a parallel development, closely related to judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, where a newly established international court in patent matters is offering a modern, totally digitalized procedure that has been immediately accepted by stakeholders from all parts of the world. Finally, the author looks at the prospects of the future developments of the usage of AI in the settlement of civil and commercial disputes in the EU.

Artificial Intelligence Generated Works and Patent Law

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

The development of generative Artificial Intelligence has created several legal implications in intellectual property law. The most prominent example is DABUS case, in which DABUS – the AI invented by Stephen Thaler created a food container and a light by itself. Afterwards, Thaler tried to name the AI as the inventor of the product and claim the patent by being an employer of the AI. The case was trialled in 16 countries, including the European Union (EU) and South Korea, creating a major debate on the matters of inventorship and patentability. In Vietnam, since the invention of ViGPT, there has also been debates on similar issues. The aim of this paper is to provide Vietnam with solutions to this issue, thus the country can prepare for the phenomenon. This research will analyse and evaluate the DABUS decisions from the EU and South Korea, with comparison to Vietnamese law to answer questions on the inventor of AI-generated works and its patentability. The finding revealed that despite the differences in the law, the interpretation concluded similarly. However, as the direction of legislation in the European Union and South Korea were divergent, it can be beneficial for Vietnam to learn from the experience of both.

Dilemmas Over the Official Status of Asturian Language

2025-11-15T13:56:59+00:00

The Asturian language does not have official status in Asturias, although the Statute acknowledges its regional significance. The issue of official status is a subject of lively social and political debate. Supporters view recognition as crucial for the language's survival, while opponents highlight economic burdens and compulsory measures. The debate is situated at the intersection of political interests and linguistic rights.

This study explores the potential impacts of official status, institutional and legal obstacles, and the main arguments in the discourse.