The Gazette 1996

273 / 448

GAZETTE BOO K R E V I E W S
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1996
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
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
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
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,
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
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