Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts?

This article explores the role of constitutional judges in advancing constitutional literacy, understood as knowledge relating to the functioning of the constitutional order. Part of the inquiry is descriptive and geared towards identifying the modalities that courts today use to cultivate such lite...

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Main Author: VISSER, De Maartje
Format: text
Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2022
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4012
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/5970/viewcontent/promoting_constitutional_literacy_pvoa_cc_by.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.sol_research-59702022-12-12T04:15:54Z Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts? VISSER, De Maartje This article explores the role of constitutional judges in advancing constitutional literacy, understood as knowledge relating to the functioning of the constitutional order. Part of the inquiry is descriptive and geared towards identifying the modalities that courts today use to cultivate such literacy among the public, or segments thereof. The article also poses normative questions about literacy-boosting efforts. How do these relate to typical judicial functions? Are courts well-placed and equipped to disseminate constitutional knowledge? Based on an analysis of judicial practices, it is suggested that lay individuals are increasingly treated as a key constituency by courts, warranting the development of specially curated initiatives crafted with the values of inclusion, accessibility, and transparency in mind. This manifests notably in a turn to social media use and an incipient embrace of legal design thinking. The available literacy-boosting modalities are not without flaws, however, and we should be cognizant of limits regarding what can realistically be expected of courts in furthering popular constitutional knowledge. Notwithstanding room for improvement in the design and delivery of constitutional literacy, the existing judicial efforts when viewed in their entirety should be evaluated positively as making a meaningful contribution in meeting people's interests in greater constitutional knowledge. 2022-10-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4012 info:doi/10.1017/glj.2022.73 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/5970/viewcontent/promoting_constitutional_literacy_pvoa_cc_by.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Constitutional literacy constitutional judges judicial capacity judicial functions public engagement Constitutional Law European Law Judges
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic Constitutional literacy
constitutional judges
judicial capacity
judicial functions
public engagement
Constitutional Law
European Law
Judges
spellingShingle Constitutional literacy
constitutional judges
judicial capacity
judicial functions
public engagement
Constitutional Law
European Law
Judges
VISSER, De Maartje
Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts?
description This article explores the role of constitutional judges in advancing constitutional literacy, understood as knowledge relating to the functioning of the constitutional order. Part of the inquiry is descriptive and geared towards identifying the modalities that courts today use to cultivate such literacy among the public, or segments thereof. The article also poses normative questions about literacy-boosting efforts. How do these relate to typical judicial functions? Are courts well-placed and equipped to disseminate constitutional knowledge? Based on an analysis of judicial practices, it is suggested that lay individuals are increasingly treated as a key constituency by courts, warranting the development of specially curated initiatives crafted with the values of inclusion, accessibility, and transparency in mind. This manifests notably in a turn to social media use and an incipient embrace of legal design thinking. The available literacy-boosting modalities are not without flaws, however, and we should be cognizant of limits regarding what can realistically be expected of courts in furthering popular constitutional knowledge. Notwithstanding room for improvement in the design and delivery of constitutional literacy, the existing judicial efforts when viewed in their entirety should be evaluated positively as making a meaningful contribution in meeting people's interests in greater constitutional knowledge.
format text
author VISSER, De Maartje
author_facet VISSER, De Maartje
author_sort VISSER, De Maartje
title Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts?
title_short Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts?
title_full Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts?
title_fullStr Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts?
title_full_unstemmed Promoting constitutional literacy: What role for courts?
title_sort promoting constitutional literacy: what role for courts?
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2022
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4012
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/5970/viewcontent/promoting_constitutional_literacy_pvoa_cc_by.pdf
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