试论美国最高法院与司法审查

The Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Review

美国联邦最高法院是世界上最有权威的法院之一,这一权威很大程度上来源于它对美国宪法的最终解释权。以司法审查这一制度形式体现出来的宪法解释,一方面使得美国古老的宪法得以与时俱进,适应美国不断变化的现实,另一方面也引发了一场关于最高法院是否越权的永无休止的争议。最高法院的历史表明,貌似中立的法院及其大法官依然无法完全摆脱时代潮流的影响和政治势力的干预。无论是对司法自由主义还是司法保守主义,司法能动还是司法克制,人们只有在特定的历史背景中才能理解。同样,司法审查所具有的反民主、反多数的难题,也只有在美国独特的联邦制和选举政治的制度框架内才能得以解释。

As one of the most authoritative courts in the world,the Supreme Court of the United States gains its authority,to a large extent,from its final say on matters concerning the Constitution.The interpretation of the Constitution,in the institutional form of judicial review,makes it possible for the Constitution to advance and adjust with the times.At the same time,it also triggers a ceaseless controversy over whether the Supreme Court has overstepped its power.The history of the Supreme Court reveals that the courts and justices,though seemingly neutral,cannot be free from the influence of the times and the intervention of political power.The judicial liberalism or judicial conservatism,judicial activism or judicial restraint,can only be understood within the historical context.Similarly,the counter-democratic,counter-majoritarian difficulty of judicial review can only be explained within the unique systemic framework of federalism and electoral politics of the United States.