Title

Claiming individual rights through a constitutional court: The example of gays in Costa Rica

Authors

Authors

B. M. Wilson

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

ICON-Int. J. Const. Law

Keywords

Law

Abstract

In 1989, a newly created Constitutional Court (Sala IV) immediately became a highly active court, ending over 160 years of Costa Rican judicial inactivity. The magistrates' actions breathed new life into the Constitution, ended judicial deference to elected officials, and consequently transformed Costa Rican political life. Simultaneously, the Sala IV magistrates assumed the role of guardians of constitutional rights, giving rise to what is frequently described as a rights revolution. The article sheds light on the sudden relevance of the forty-year-old Constitutional document through an examination of the institutional rules and procedures under which the new Court operates, and it examines the successes and failures of one of the country's most marginalized groups in seeking protection of their constitutional rights from the Court.

Journal Title

Icon-International Journal of Constitutional Law

Volume

5

Issue/Number

2

Publication Date

1-1-2007

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Language

English

First Page

242

Last Page

257

WOS Identifier

WOS:000246264300004

ISSN

1474-2640

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