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We investigate voter preferences for changes in voting rules, focusing specifically on the creation of citizen-initiative processes that were originally adopted in South Dakota in 1898 and eventually enacted by half of the states. Various claims have been advanced about why the process was adopted and who supported or opposed it, but without presenting evidence from referenda where voters approved the creation of the process. We test these claims by examining county-level election returns from South Dakota's 1898 referendum that created the first statewide initiative process in the United States. We find that support for the initiative process was generally higher among groups that are disadvantaged in various ways by existing representative institutions and perceive advantages in creating direct democratic institutions capable of bypassing representative processes. These findings stand in contrast to the notion that the adoption of constitutional rules will be relatively free from calculations rooted in self-interest and perceived advantage from the rules changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This educational itinerary of History of Music has its fulcrum in the intermezzo La serva padrona, but is achieved through an interdisciplinary perspective. First of all, by considering the title, students are asked to establish the era and genre of the work. Then the characteristics of the ancien régime society are outlined, which are compared to those of democratic society. Thanks to the reading of literary and musical texts, we reflect on the relationship between words and music, on the differences between aria and recitative and on the pесuliarities of musical writing. The evaluation of the social function of the ancient conservatives sheds light on the rights regarding life, childhood, education and instruction. At the end, ideas are proposed for teaching Italian and Art History. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the occasion of the centenary of don Milani's birth, to which a conference organized by the Department of Human and Social Sciences of the University of Bergamo has been dedicated (September 21-22, 2023), the contribution proposes a reflection on the theme of merit in Barbiana's school, through reference to Article 34 of the Constitution. Recalling Don Milani's experience and thought, the author proposes some questions on the current education system which, although in a different way from then, still remains characterized by the principles of vertical and horizontal hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A court decision in Bosnia may lead to the banning of a controversial textbook from schools in the Serb-majority entity. The textbook in question portrays wartime leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic as heroes while omitting their crimes for which they are serving life sentences. The international community has criticized the textbook for denying genocide and glorifying war criminals, emphasizing the importance of teaching an accurate approach to the history of the 1990s to promote reconciliation. [Extracted from the article]

The Biden Administration will defend the TikTok divest-or-ban bill in court on January 10, limiting the chances that a future Trump DOJ could try to torpedo it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If it takes effect, the TikTok law will ban Oracle from hosting TikTok users' data. That puts the data back in ByteDance's hands — where it could flow back to China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On Monday morning, TikTok asked a powerful appeals court to temporarily stop a law that could ban the app in the U.S. as soon as January 19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood development is critical for children's optimal development. This is even more so for children with disabilities who are often confronted with barriers preventing them from reaching their full potential. In this regard, it is estimated that only 5 per cent of children with disabilities are attending early childhood development programmes in South Africa. The rights of South African children with disabilities to early childhood development in line with international law against the backdrop of the Constitution and national legislation are evaluated. South Africa's compliance with the rights embodied in these instruments are indicated. Suggestions for improvements are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the obstacles hindering the peace process. The main point of contention is the Armenian constitution, which Azerbaijan insists should be amended before any agreement is reached. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces domestic resistance and accusations of bowing to external pressure. Efforts to hold talks between the leaders of both countries have failed, and there is skepticism about the possibility of reaching an agreement. The article also highlights the sensitivity of the constitution issue in Armenia and the challenges of conducting a referendum. Despite these challenges, there are suggestions for potential solutions, such as an interim document outlining the basic principles of a peace agreement. The article concludes by mentioning upcoming events that could impact the peace process, including the UN Climate Change Conference and the US presidential election. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of IUS ET VERITAS is the property of Asociación IUS ET VERITAS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Trump's attack on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comes as CNN released a new poll showing the third-party candidate drew support from 13% of both Biden's and Trump's supporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Months after the Corporate Transparency Act—or CTA—went into effect, a federal court has found it unconstitutional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freedom of expression is one of the prerequisites for the formation and existence of a democratic society; it belongs among the universal values of paramount importance, because it allows not only to freely express own views, but also reveal the potential of the individual. In addition, it is considered (and it is justified) as one of the main and unconditional achievements of the political reform that is being carried out in Ukraine. The guarantee of freedom of expression, which has the highest political normative content, is, on the one hand, the most important asset of an organic constitution, and on the other hand, serves as the main function of the constitution as a legal source that reflects and responds to the interests of civil society. However, the real challenge for the unsustainable constitutional tradition that still retains some signs of the post-Soviet model of regulation is the need to balance freedom of expression under the conditions of threats to national security. What should be the proper mechanism for guaranteeing freedom of expression at the constitutional level? How strong is the danger that the state violates the requirement of constitutionality in the case of restrictions on freedom of expression for the sake of national security? How does the post-Soviet tradition of legal regulation manifest itself in deciding which model of guaranteeing freedom of expression is chosen by the state? What is the role of the tradition of respect for personal autonomy and the value of tolerance of a society in guaranteeing freedom of expression? The article is devoted to finding answers to these questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of IUS ET VERITAS is the property of Asociación IUS ET VERITAS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the challenges faced by the United Republic of Tanzania in upholding secularism despite being a secular state. It highlights instances where state organs, such as the executive and parliament, have failed to separate themselves from religious influences, contrary to the constitutional philosophy of separation of religion from the state. The judiciary, however, remains the only state organ that maintains a secular approach in its operations. The author calls for immediate resolution of this constitutional dilemma to ensure that all state affairs are conducted in a secular manner, respecting individual beliefs as private matters. [Extracted from the article]

Sebakwa taodisong ye ke gore bao bago tseyelwa naga ka dikgoka ba nale tokelo ya go lwela gore naga ya bona e boele go bona. Ye ke tokelo yeo molaotheo wa 1996 o e gatakileng wa etsa okare sebakwa gase gore naga ye yago bitswa Afrika-Borwa ke bafenyi yona e sa amogilwe bana ba mabu. Taodisong ye re tla fetleka sebakwa se go tswa matlhakoreng a fapafapaneng re lebisitse kudu gore thereso, toka le khutso nageng di kgafetswe thoko bjang le gona ka mabaka afe. Tlhaloso ya rena phetlekong ye e tla bontsha gore botho gabo gona molaotheong. Bothata ke gore botho bo tloga bo tlhokagala phedisanong ya setshaba kamoka. Ka fao, molaotheo o tshwanetse goba mmele le moya wa botho. Re kwisisa gabotse gore go lwela thereso, toka le khutso Afrika-Borwa ke go fega ntwa ye e amang lefatshe ka bophara. Re nganga gore bodidi bja maitirelo bo tshwanetse go fediswa gore toka, khutso le kwano di be gona, di rene mo Afrika-Borwa. Se se tla diragala ge kamoka re ka rerisana mabapi le go thopja ga naga ka dikgoka le ditlamorago tsa ntshe. The purpose of this essay is to critique the constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 in the light of the just war doctrine. The critique of the constitution involves special attention to the putative acquisition but practical exercise of the ethically questionable 'right of conquest' and its consequences, especially in the epistemological, economic and political spheres. The thesis defended in this essay is that the multi-faced injustice of conquest in an unjust war is still an ethical exigency demanding remedies despite the enactment of the constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of IUS ET VERITAS is the property of Asociación IUS ET VERITAS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Joe Kennedy was fired from his football coaching for praying after a game, then reinstated by court order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the case ofShoprite Checkers (Pty) Limited v Member of the Executive Council for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism: Eastern Capein so far as the Constitutional Court deals with the test for deprivation and arbitrariness in terms of section 25 of the Constitution. By referring to the recent decisions of the court around the tests for both deprivation and arbitrariness, the aim of the article is to show that the test for deprivation as set out in the judgment departs from the courts previous jurisprudence and is rendered too narrow and convoluted. In the case of the test for arbitrariness, it is argued that there is a lack of formulaic application by the court which has the potential to lead to a disproportionate amount of judicial discretion. This article concludes by arguing that unless the court endeavors to define the tests for deprivation and arbitrariness clearly and precisely, the property clause in the Constitution will be rendered meaningless. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Politica Exterior is the property of Instituto Matias Romero de Estudios Diplomaticos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ukuthwala,a mock abduction of a girl for the purpose of a customary marriage, has been subject to debate at both local and national level. This debate culminated into a South African Law Reform Commission Report on the practice ofukuthwala. However, the case ofJezile v Sbrings theory into reality, putting in stark relief the issues that surround this custom in a constitutional democracy. TheJezilecase highlights the disjuncture between communities’ lived realities and the constitutional imperatives of the right to practice one’s culture, as well as the rights to equality and dignity, specifically for women and the girl child in the context ofukuthwala. Based on field research conducted in September 2015 and April 2016 in Engcobo (where theukuthwalawas alleged to take place inJezile), this article sets out the community’s views in the aftermath of the case. Highlighting the alienation of the community from the law, and the complexities in understanding consent, the article posits that much more needs to be done from the ‘bottom up’ to ensure gender equality and protection of the girl child from harm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reviews 20 years of the operation of customary law in South Africa since this legal system was recognised in the Constitution as an equal component of the legal order together with the common law. The objective of the review is to discover whether customary law has been integrated into the mainstream of the legal system and, if so, in what form. The paper undertakes this task by analysing key judicial decisions and law reform initiatives that have had an impact on women’s rights, against the background of the protections that the Constitution gives to cultural rights. Using the notion of ‘living law’ as the point of departure, the paper concludes that the cause of integration has not been well-served by either the judiciary or the legislature, both of which have shied away from protecting the deep values embedded in customary law by deferring too readily to western notions that have found their way into the Constitution. The paper concludes by calling for a different approach that is more sympathetic to the values underpinning customary law even where, as sometimes happens, these have been obscured by practices that appear inimical to the Bill of Rights. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The former president's indictment alleged Trump attempted to pressure Pence to reject the outcome of the 2020 election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The former president's indictment alleged Trump attempted to pressure Pence to reject the outcome of the 2020 election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Politica Exterior is the property of Instituto Matias Romero de Estudios Diplomaticos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of IUS ET VERITAS is the property of Asociación IUS ET VERITAS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of IUS ET VERITAS is the property of Asociación IUS ET VERITAS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of IUS ET VERITAS is the property of Asociación IUS ET VERITAS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Among a number of ensemble learning techniques, boosting and bagging are the most popular sampling-based ensemble approaches for classification problems. Boosting is considered stronger than bagging on noise-free data set with complex class structures, whereas bagging is more robust than boosting in cases where noise data are present. In this paper, we extend both ensemble approaches to clustering tasks, and propose a novel hybrid sampling-based clustering ensemble by combining the strengths of boosting and bagging. In our approach, the input partitions are iteratively generated via a hybrid process inspired by both boosting and bagging. Then, a novel consensus function is proposed to encode the local and global cluster structure of input partitions into a single representation, and applies a single clustering algorithm to such representation to obtain the consolidated consensus partition. Our approach has been evaluated on 2-D-synthetic data, collection of benchmarks, and real-world facial recognition data sets, which show that the proposed technique outperforms the existing benchmarks for a variety of clustering tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the State v. Santiago case related to quandaries of death penalty repeals. Topics discussed include Prospective Legislative Repeal in terms of act revising the penalty for capital felonies; Chief State's Attorney Kevin T. Kane's concern on prospective-only repeal; and majority opinion in terms of protections from cruel and unusual punishment.

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The dream of 'Gram Swaraj' of our beloved father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi and motto of 'Power to People' are essence of true democracy. The task of capacity building of these large numbers of Panchayats is quite gigantic exercise. As per the assessment of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj even after 22 years of enactment of 73rd Constitutional (Amendment) Act and also after having three rounds of Panchayat elections in many States in India the empowerment of Panchayats has not taken place as envisioned in the 73rd Constitution (Amendment) Act in 1992. The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution in 1992 gave Constitutional status to the Panchayats as institutions of local self government and also for planning and implementing programmes for economic development and social justice. The concept of Panchayati raj seemed for a while in the years after Indian independence to have disappeared permanently into the mists of India's romantic past. In the late twentieth century however the notion has returned once more to the political agenda, for a variety of reasons: strategic, practical, economic, and ideology. This paper sets out to trace in brief the origins of the concept of Panchayati, offers some historical examples of the Panchayat in use, and attempts an explanation as to why it should once again have assumed importance in the minds of politicians, NGOs and administrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Can a rights-based agenda potentially challenge the dominant market narrative with respect to water access, and in the process, also address climate change reparations, adaptation and mitigation? Learning from the case of water in the most advanced court challenge to neo-liberal state power that has yet been adjudicated, in Johannesburg in 2009, it is just as likely that rights-talk will beco-optedby neo-liberalism. If that happens more systematically within the climate justice struggle, at a time activism intensifies and court cases emerge more frequently, momentum towards a genuine breakthrough against corporate control of global environmental governance (amplified now under the rubric of the ‘Green Economy’) could well be distracted, halted or even reversed. The classical problems associated with rights-based narratives – their basis in liberal individualism and disconnection from broader socio-economic and ecological processes – may continue to be crippling, as witnessed in the example of South African water policy, law and activism. The specific case involves a Paris-based water privatisation company (Suez) whose policies in Johannesburg led five Sowetans to sue the city to increase water supply and cease imposing pre-payment meters. The same ideological debates – how to fuse neo-liberal imperatives with rights rhetoric – took centre stage during the June 2012 Rio+20 Earth Summit. There, the dominant trend towards market determinations of nature required a stronger countervailing ‘decommodification’ narrative than ‘rights talk’ can offer. The question posed here, is whether using human rights considerations will make contestation of ‘neo-liberalised nature’ any easier, and the answer arrived at is negative, based on the evidence from Johannesburg. Instead, ‘commoning’ is the alternative narrative, ie arriving at the commonsthrough and beyond rights. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the U.S. Supreme Court case Edwards v. First Am. Corp. wherein Edwards concerns Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) under Article III of the U.S. Constitution. It mentions that the act prohibits the payment of kickbacks related to a federal mortgage loan. It also cites several cases related to discussed case such as First Circuit in Conservation Law Foundation of New England, Inc. v. Reilly and United States ex rel. Kreindler & Kreindler v. United Techs. Corp.

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Nuevo Derecho is the property of Institucion Universitaria de Envigado, Faculta de Derecho y Ciencias Politicas y Juridicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Chile must balance the desire to enhance its social agenda with the need for the mining sector to stay competitive, the chief executive officer of mining company Antofagasta said. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Citadel CEO and founder outbid a group of crypto investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trump's post-election claims are "contrary both to the plain meaning of the Constitutional text and common sense," the judge ruled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"We don't have a king in this country. We didn't want a king, so we have a Constitution." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vladimir Putin has reignited his battle with former billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky as Russia nears a decisive referendum in April, allowing Putin to remain in power until 2036. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charter schools, which have just begun to dip their toes into the sea of tax-exempt bond finance, are likely to be able to dive in and issue significantly more debt [...]