Critical analysis of Kramer's Popular Constitutionalism Proposal and Defense of Judicial Supremacy

Critical analysis of Kramer's Popular Constitutionalism Proposal and Defense of Judicial Supremacy

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48143/rdai.18.lbrf

Keywords:

Federal Constitution, Popular constitutionalism, Judicial supremacy, Accountability

Abstract

Popular constitutionalism arises as a counterpoint to liberal constitutionalism, by rejecting the supremacy of the Judicial Power and proposing the transfer of the final, binding, interpretative authority of the Supreme Court to the people. The theory, which had its most prominent manifestation in Larry Kramer's work, is based on a popular dissatisfaction with the current constitutional model and on the perspective that the people are the best interpreter to preserve the real meaning of the constitutional text. However, according to the perspective adopted in this paper, the proposal starts from mistaken assumptions, affecting, in particular, their subsistence and practical implementation. In this article, using the hypothetico-deductive method, the theory of popular constitutionalism is analyzed, followed by the criticisms developed under the conceptual aspect and the fundamental bases of the proposal of Larry Kramer. The analysis reveals that Kramer, seeking to prevent judicial tyranny, defends the proposal of popular constitutionalism, while the criticisms are directed in the sense that the fragility of the judicial supremacy gives room for a popular tyranny. However, solutions to this dilemma are decided in politics, not law. Keywords: Federal Constitution; Popular constitutionalism; Judicial supremacy; Accountability.

Author Biographies

Lara Bonemer Rocha Floriani, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil)

Doutora em Direito Econômico e Mestra em Direito Econômico e Socioambiental pela PUCPR. Graduada em Direito pela Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM). Professora no curso de Graduação em Direito da Faculdade Estácio e do Centro Universitário Unibrasil . Coordenadora da Pós-Graduação em Direito Econômico da PUCPR. lara@rochaefloriani.com.br |ORCID iD icon 0000-0002-8112-0949

Claudia Maria Barbosa, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil)

Professora titular de direito constitucional do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito na Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil). Pesquisadora bolsista produtividade do CNPq. Doutora com Pós-Doutorado no Centro de Estudos Social da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal e na York University em Toronto, Canadá.  E-mail: claudia.mr.barbosa@gmail.com  | ORCID iD icon 0000-0002-7055-9403

References

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PARKER, Richard. Here, The People Rule: A Constitutional Populist Manifesto. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994.

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Published

2021-08-15

How to Cite

FLORIANI, Lara Bonemer Rocha; BARBOSA, Claudia Maria. Critical analysis of Kramer’s Popular Constitutionalism Proposal and Defense of Judicial Supremacy: Critical analysis of Kramer’s Popular Constitutionalism Proposal and Defense of Judicial Supremacy. Journal of Public Law and Infrastructure | RDAI, São Paulo: Thomson Reuters | Livraria RT, v. 5, n. 18, p. 183–202, 2021. DOI: 10.48143/rdai.18.lbrf. Disponível em: https://rdai.com.br/index.php/rdai/article/view/floriani2021. Acesso em: 24 nov. 2024.

Issue

Section

Control | Controle