The Gazette 1996

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1996

GAZETTE

BOO K

R E V I E W S

s u b j e ct to p u b l ic o r d er a n d mo r a l i t y. T h e e d u c a t i on of p u b l ic o p i n i on w a s stated to be a ma t t er of g r a ve i mp o rt to the c o m m o n g o o d. A c c o r d i n g l y, the State w a s o b l i g ed to e n d e a v o ur to e n s u re that o r g a ns of p u b l ic o p i n i o n, s u ch as the radio, the press, the c i n e ma wh i le p r e s e r v i ng their rightful liberty of e x p r e s s i o n, i n c l u d i ng c r i t i c i sm of G o v e r n m e nt p o l i c y, m u s t n ot be u s ed to u n d e r m i ne p u b l ic o r d er or mo r a l i ty or the authority of the State. T h e R e v i ew G r o u p rightly n o te that it w o u l d b e i n a p p r o p r i a te to i d e n t i fy precisely the t e c h n o l o gy in the c o n t e xt of the e l e c t r o n ic m e d i a. T h e R e v i ew G r o u p n o t ed that the specific e n u m e r a t i on of the radio, the p r e ss a n d the c i n e ma a l r e a dy s e e ms d a t ed in that it d o es n ot t a ke a c c o u nt of s u b s e q u e nt d e v e l o p m e n ts s u ch as television a n d the Internet a nd a r e d r a ft that a t t emp ts to be specific in this a r ea w o u ld p r o b a b ly s o on be o u t - m o d e d. T h e r e is a g e n e r al p r i n c i p le a nd J u s t i ce B e n j a m in N . C a r d o zo in The Nature of The Judicial Process, 83-84 (1921), e x p r e s s ed it e l e g a n t ly that a c o n s t i t u t i on states or o u g ht to state not r u l es f o r the p a s s i ng h o ur b ut p r i n c i p l es f o r an e x p a n d i ng f u t u r e. T h e j u d g e n o t ed that in so f ar as a c o n s t i t u t i on d e v i a t es f r o m that s t a n d a r d, a nd d e s c e n ds into details a nd particulars, it l o o s es its flexibility; the s c o pe of i n t e r p r e t a t i on c o n t r a c t s, the m e a n i ng h a r d e n s. It is vital that a c o n s t i t u t i on m a i n t a i ns its p o w e r of a d a p t a t i o n, its s u p p l e n e ss a nd in the w o r d s of J u s t i ce C a r d o zo "its p l a y ". T h i s short n o te c a n n ot easily c o n v ey to the r e a d er the w i s d o m, k n o w l e d ge a nd e x a c t i ng a n a l y s is of t he p r o v i s i o ns of the C o n s t i t u t i on by l e a d i ng s c h o l a rs that are e x p r e s s ed in the R e v i e w. T h e R e v i e w is e m i n e n t ly r e a d a b le a nd is a m o s t i mp r e s s i ve d o c u m e n t. T h is R e v i e w s h o u ld o c c u py a v a l u ed p l a ce in the library of a ny practitioner, s t u d e nt a n d p e r s on i n t e r e s t ed in I r e l a n d 's f u n d a m e n t al l a w. T h is R e v i ew is very 257

i n d e ed l a b o u rs that tax b o th m i nd a nd b o dy but f o r s o me a w o rk of s c h o l a r s h ip m a y constitute a l a b o ur of love. F o r s o me the i n v o l v e m e nt in the R e v i ew of the Co n s t i t u t i on m a y h a ve b e en a l a b o ur of love. W i th the full c o n c u r r e n ce of all his c o l l e a g u es on the R e v i ew G r o u p, Dr. Wh i t a k er specifically in his f o r e w o rd registered " s p e c i al r e c o g n i t i on of the e x c e p t i o n al c o n t r i b u t i o n" m a d e to the R e v i ew G r o u p by M r. G e r a rd H o g a n, B L . E a ch p a ge of the R e p o rt h as t wo c o l umn s. T h e first c o l u mn q u o t es the relevant p r o v i s i on of the Co n s t i t u t i on in full a nd the s e c o nd c o l u mn sets o ut an analysis of the relevant p r o v i s i on including, w h e re relevant, a r g u m e n ts f or c h a n ge a nd a r g u m e n ts a g a i n st c h a n ge t o g e t h er with a c o n c l u s i on a n d a r e c o mm e n d a t i o n. W h e n r e a d i ng t h r o u gh the R e p o r t, I w a s c o n s c i o us of the s e n t i me n ts e x p r e s s ed by Justice M c K e n n a in Weems -v- United States, 2 17 U S 3 4 9, 3 7 3 ( 1 9 1 0) w h e n he a r g u ed that t i me w o r ks c h a n g es a nd b r i n gs into e x i s t e n ce n e w c o n d i t i o ns a nd p u r p o s e s. H e a r g u ed that f or a principle to be vital it mu st b e c a p a b le of w i d er a p p l i c a t i on than the m i s c h i ef w h i ch g a ve it birth. H e n o t ed that this w a s particularly true of constitutions. C o n s t i t u t i o ns are n ot e p h e m e r al e n a c t m e n ts d e s i g n ed to m e et p a s s i ng o c c a s i o n s. T h e y are, a nd he q u o t ed the w o r ds of C h i ef J u s t i ce J o h n Ma r s h a l l, " d e s i g n ed to a p p r o a ch the a p p l i c a t i on of a C o n s t i t u t i o n, he n o t ed that o ur c o n t e mp l a t i on c a n n ot be o n ly of w h at h as b e en b ut of w h at m a y be. It is n o t e w o r t hy that the m e m b e r s of the R e v i ew G r o u p w e r e c o n s c i o us of a v o i d i ng e x c e s s i ve detail in t he C o n s t i t u t i on in t he c o n t e xt of p r o p o s ed c h a n g e s. F o r e x a m p l e, A r t i c le 4 0 . 6 .1 (i) of the C o n s t i t u t i on g u a r a n t e es liberty f or the e x e r c i se of citizens to e x p r e ss f r e e ly their c o n v i c t i o ns a n d o p i n i o n s, i mmo r t a l i ty as nearly as h u m a n institutions c an a p p r o a ch it". In

Report of the Constitution Review Group, May 1996, Dublin, The Stationery Office, Pn 2632 xiii+701pp, £15 O n M a y 2 3, 1 9 96 a g r o u p of sixteen p e r s o ns w e r e r e c o r d ed as h a v i ng s i g n ed their n a m e s to a d o c u m e nt of c o n s i d e r a b le s i g n i f i c a n c e. E a ch i n d i v i d u al s i g n a t u re is r e c o r d ed in f a c s i m i le in the d o c u m e n t. [ T he actual s i g n a t u r es of the s i x t e en p e r s o ns a dd to the s o l e mn i ty of the d o c u m e n t ]. T h e g r o u p, u n d er the c h a i r m a n s h ip of Dr. T . K . Wh i t a k e r, h ad c o m p l e t ed a r e v i ew of the C o n s t i t u t i on of Ireland. C o n s t i t u t i o ns of n a t i o ns are, by their very n a t u r e, s o l e mn d o c u m e n t s; a ny c o m p r e h e n s i ve r e v i ew of a constitution, m a n d a t ed by the e l e c t ed r e p r e s e n t a t i v es of that n a t i o n, is a d o c u m e nt of p r o f o u nd s i g n i f i c a n c e. O f c o u r se l a w y e r s, per se, h a ve n o m o n o p o ly on truth or w i s d o m. But in this n o te s p a ce d i c t a t es that o n ly the l a w y e r s, a re m e n t i o n e d. T h e A t t o r n ey G e n e r a l, M r . D e r m o t G l e s s o n, SC, Mr. D a v i d B y r n e, S C, Dr. A l p ha C o n n e l l y, n o w L e g al A d v i s e r, D e p a r t m e nt of F o r e i gn A f f a i r s, M s . M a r y Finlay, S C. M r . J a m e s H a m i l t o n, BL, n o w S e n i or L e g al A s s i s t a n t, O f f i ce of the A t t o r n ey G e n e r a l, M r. M a h o n H a y es B L , R e t i r i ng P e r m a n e nt R e p r e s e n t a t i ve of I r e l a nd to t he U n i t ed N a t i o n s, Mr. G e r a rd H o g a n, B L , F e l l ow of Trinity C o l l e g e, D u b l i n, M r. D i a r m a id M c G u i n n e s s, B L a nd D r. B l a t h na R u a n e, B L . c o m p r i se the l a wy e rs in the R e v i e w G r o u p, M r. J i m O ' D o n n e l l, A s s i s t a nt D i r e c t or G e n e r al of the Institute of P u b l ic Adm i n i s t r a t i on a c t ed as S e c r e t a r y. In t he f o r e w o rd to the R e p o r t, the C h a i r m an t h a n ks all his c o l l e a g u es o n t he R e v i e w G r o u p f or their u n s t i n t i ng c o mm i t m e nt of t i me a n d t h o u g ht " w h i c h m a d e f o r e f f i c i e nt a nd p l e a s a nt c o l l a b o r a t i o n ". M o s t w o r ks of s c h o l a r s h ip p r o ve a r d u o us a n d they are