Abstract

The Concept of the Rule of Law and the European Court of Human Rights (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), pp. i–xxi + 235, isbn : 9780199671199. A few years ago, our constitutional law professor confided to the first-year students, which we were at the time, that using the words “Dicey”, “separation of powers” and “rule of law” in our final term paper, being as fundamental as these concepts were, would enable us to instantly reach our second year. Geranne Lautenbach not only mentions these three words in her book, but she demonstrates that the national approach to the last term has been influenced by international law, and, in particular, by the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”) and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”). Why is such a focus made, specifically, on the echr ? The author makes it clear that her choice was guided by the frequent references to the rule of law by the Strasbourg Court, along with the “increased attention” to the concept in international law literature (p. 1). This led Geranne Lautenbach to devote her PhD thesis – defended in 2012 – to the topic, and from which initiative