《权利法案》的程序法意义

The Significance of Bill of Rights in Procedural Law

《权利法案》的程序法条款是将公民权利写进宪法的一种独特立宪方式,表明将公民权利宣言载入宪法具有道德必要性与技术可行性。权利价值是宪法的正当性泉源,是现代政治的道德基础与根本出发点,作为立国之基的宪法首先是一个道德宣言。宪法程序是道德权利明确化、实在化的基本形式。运用程序技术的术语书写与阐释抽象权利,注重对人身权与财产权的司法程序保障,是英国普通法的传统。《权利法案》的意义,不仅在于继承了普通法人权司法程序保障的传统,还在于将这种司法程序保障提升到宪法的高度,使得以陪审制为代表的普通法程序跻身成为具有最高权威性的宪法程序。

The enactment of provisions of procedural law in Bill of Rights is a unique way of constitution - making, for its inclu- sion of civil rights in the constitution. It is morally necessary and technically feasible to enshrine the declaration of the rights of citizens in the constitution, as human rights are the source of the legitimacy of constitution and the moral foundation of modern politics, and the constitution, as the foundation of state, is firstly a moral declaration. Therefore, the constitutional procedure is the basic form in which the moral rights could get explication and actualization. Besides, it is the tradition of British common law to articulate abstract rights in procedural terminology, and to pay attention to protecting personal rights and property rights through judicial procedures. In conclusion, the meaning of Bill of Rights is not only to inherit the tradition of protecting human rights judicial procedures, but also to raise such procedures protection to constitutional height, which makes the common law pro- cedures, represented by jury system, elevate to supreme constitutional procedures.