About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

28 Alta. L. Rev. 324 (1989-1990)
Equality, Democracy, and Constitution: We the People in Court

handle is hein.journals/alblr28 and id is 340 raw text is: ALBERTA LAW REVIEW EQUALITY, DEMOCRACY, AND CONSTITUTION: WE THE PEOPLE IN COURT RONALD DWORKIN* Commentators have seen the disabling provisions found in the American and Canadian constitutions as undemocratic because they restrict majority powers. Building upon the work of John Hart Ely, this paper puts forward a conception of democracy which nourishes both collective responsibility and individual judgment. The author distinguishes between 'statistical and com- munal conceptions of democracy. Traditional theories, such as Ely's, have relied on the statistical notion which conceives of individuals in a democracy acting each on their own. In the communal conception, decisions are made by the people acting as a distinct and collec- tive unit of responsibility. The author then elaborates on the communal conception by identifying two variations of it, integrated and monolithic' forms of collec- tive action. In the latter, both the unit of responsibility and the unit of judgment are collective, while in the former the unit ofjudgment resides in the individual. If democracy is understood in the integrated communal sense, then many of the disabling provisions in the American and Canadian constitutions can be seen to enhance democracy rather than contradict it. Certains commentareurs estiment que les dispositions abrogatoires des constitutions amdricaine et canadienne sont antide'mocratiques en ce qu'elles limitent les pouvoirs de la majorite. En invoquant les travaux de John Hart Ely, cet article propose une conception de la ddmocratie qui entretient Li lafois la notion de respon- sabilitJ collective et celle de jugement individuel. L 'auteurfait la distinction entre les notions statistique et collective de la democratie. Les theories tradition- nelles semblables Li celles d'Ely, reposent sur la notion statistique selon laquelle, dans une ddmocratie, chaque individu agit inddpendamment. D 'apres la conception collective, les ddcisions sont prises par le peuple en tant qu 'unitd responsable distincte et collective. L 'auteur ddveloppe cette notion plus avant pour en proposer deux variantes - Lesformes intdgrge et monolithique d'action collective. Dans la seconde forme, l'unitd de responsabilitd et celle de jugement sont toutes deux collectives alors que, pour la premi&re, l'unitd de jugement rdside chez l'individu. Si I'on con~oit la ddmocratie au sens collectif integre, bon nombre de dis- positions abrogatoires contenues dans les constitutions amdricaine et canadienne serontpercues commefavo- rabies 6 la ddmocratie plutbt que jouant contre elle. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. TH E PROBLEM ........................................ II. FAMILIAR RESPONSES ................................. III. CONCEPTIONS OF DEMOCRACY ....................... IV. EQUALITY OF POWER ................................. A. VERTICAL AND HISTORICAL DIMENSIONS ........... B. IMPACT AND INFLUENCE ........................... C. SHOULD INFLUENCE BE EQUAL? ................... V. COMMUNAL COLLECTIVE ACTION ..................... VI. DEMOCRACY AS INTEGRATION ........................ A. THE PRINCIPLE OF PARTICIPATION .................. B. THE PRINCIPLE OF STAKE .......................... C. THE PRINCIPLE OF INDEPENDENCE ................. VII. COMMUNITY AND CONSTITUTION ..................... A. THE PLAIN PROVISIONS ............................ B. JUDICIAL INTERPRETATION ........................ * Professor of Jurisprudence, Oxford University and Professor of Law, New York University. A version of this paper was delivered as the inaugural McDonald Constitutional Lecture, sponsored by the Centre for Constitutional Studies, and delivered at the Law Centre, University of Alberta on March 13, 1989. 325 326 328 331 332 332 333 335 337 337 339 340 342 343 344 [VOL. XXVIII, NO. 2

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most