Judicial review of referenda decisions in federal States of The USA

Abstract

Autorice u članku analiziraju sudski nadzor referendumskih odluka u saveznim državama SAD-a s obzirom na zaštitu manjinskih prava. U uvodnom djelu objašnjava se razlika u temeljnom funkcioniranju ustavnih sustava dviju razina: savezne razine i razine država članica. Ustav SAD-a utemeljen je na posrednom narodnom prihvaćanju i složenim većinama, državni ustavi instrumenti su većinske demokracije. U drugom dijelu tumači se izbor sudaca u saveznim državama. U trećem dijelu prikazani su povijesni slučajevi rasističkih narodnih inicijativa te novije tendencije usmjerene protiv imigranata i homoseksualaca. Razmotrena su i tehnička mjerila u praksi državnih sudova. U četvrtom se dijelu iznosi argumentacija u prilog sudskom nadzoru od federalnih sudova. Analizirana je praksa Vrhovnog suda SAD-a u odnosu na načelo jednakosti općenito, a potom i u odnosu na neposredno donesene propise. Utvrđuje se postojanje temeljnog ustavnog prava na jednaku građanku participaciju u društvu. Zaključno se naglašava važnost korektivne funkcije sudskog nadzora nad oblicima neposredne demokracije, kao i njegova prava mjera.The authors analyse judicial review of referendum decisions in federal States of the United States of America with regard to the protection of minority rights. In introduction, they explain the difference in the basic functioning of two-tier constitutional systems – federal level and state level. The Constitution of the United States of America is based on indirect popular acceptance and complex majorities, while the constitutions of the federal States are the instrument of majoritarian democracy. In the second part of the paper, the authors explain the election of judges in federal States, and in the third part they give a historical review of racist popular initiatives as well as more recent tendencies aimed against immigrants and homosexuals. The paper also contains technical criteria in the practice of the State courts. In the fourth part of the paper, the authors argument in favour of judicial review by the federal courts, analyse the practice of the Supreme Court of the United States with regard to the principle of equality in general, and then in relation to the adopted regulations. The authors have recognised the existence of the fundamental constitutional right to equal citizens’ participation in society. Finally, they point out the importance of corrective function of judicial review over the forms of direct democracy, as well as the significance of its proper scope