美國大法官過世遺下的問題 (1)

美國大法官過世遺下的問題 (1)

  

Results in key cases could change with Scalia's 

death-

隨著史大法官的過世，主要案件的判決結果，可能有所

改變。

                        

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court abhors even numbers. But that's just what the court will have to deal with, perhaps for many months, after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Eight justices will decide what to do, creating the prospect of 4-4 ties.

最高法庭不喜歡偶數的大法官人數。但那是法庭不得不處理的事，也許在史卡利大法官過世好幾個月後才得以解決。八位大法官須面對平手4比4的主要表決案。

Here are some questions and answers about the effect on the court of the death of its conservative icon and longest-serving justice:

保守派偶像人物又是最資深大法官之過世，所產生影響的一些問題與答案：

Q. What happens to cases in which Scalia cast a vote or drafted an opinion, but no decision has been publicly announced?

對已故大法官史卡利亞投過票或起草過看法之案件，但尚未有公開宣佈的裁決該如何處理?

A.   It may sound harsh, but Scalia's votes and draft opinions in pending cases no longer matter. Veteran Supreme Court lawyer Roy Englert says that "the vote of a deceased justice does not count." Nothing is final at the court until it is released publicly and, while it is rare, justices have flipped their votes and the outcomes in some cases.

已故法官投的票或起草過的看法不算，也許聽起來粗暴。資深最高法庭律師Roy Englert說，「已故法官的票不算數」。在最高法庭任何事須公開發佈後才定案；而且，雖然少有此情形，但大法官們在一些案件中已經輕易投票表示了結果。

Q. What happens if there is a tie?

若法官表決人數平手，該怎麼辦?

A.   The justices have two options. They can vote to hear the case a second time when a new colleague joins them or they can hand down a one-sentence opinion that upholds the result reached in the lower court without setting a nationwide rule. When confirmation of a new justice is expected to happen quickly, re-argument is more likely. In this political environment, the vacancy could last into 2017.

其他法官們有兩項選擇。他們可以等新大法官產生後再聽審，或駁回高等、地方法院更審，而無需作全國性判決。當新任大法官的確認很快決定時，更可能有再爭議。在此政治氛圍下，遞補空缺可能延至2017年。

Q. Why doesn't the court like tie votes? 為何最高法庭不喜歡平數的表決?

A. A major function of the Supreme Court is to resolve disputes among lower courts and establish legal precedents for the entire country. Tie votes frustrate those goals and they essentially waste the court's time.

最高法院的一項主要功能是解決較低法庭的判決紛爭，並為全國建立合法的前例。因此平數的表決無法達成那些目標，也必要地浪費了時間。

Q. How does Scalia's death affect specific cases? 史卡利大法官之過世如何影響特殊案件?

   故法官

A. It deprives conservatives of a key vote and probably will derail some anticipated conservative victories in major Supreme Court cases, including one in which labor unions appeared headed for a big defeat. Next month's Supreme Court clash over contraceptives, religious liberty and President Barack Obama's health care law also now seems more likely to favor the Obama administration.

他的過世剝奪了保守派關鍵的一票，也可能使最高法庭在主要案件中，保守派未能取得預期的勝利，包括有一次工會上訴的慘敗。下個月最高法庭對墮胎法、宗教自由與歐巴馬的健康法等法案的爭執討論，現在似乎看起來，更可能有利於歐巴馬政府。

Q. Unions have suffered a string of defeats at the Supreme Court. Is that likely to change?

工會組織已在最高法庭慘遭一連串的敗訴。那個情形會因此可能改變?

A.   Yes, at least in the short term. Many of the cases involving organized labor were decided on 5-4 votes, with the conservative justices lining up against the unions and the liberal justices in support. The pending case seemed like more of the same. Public sector labor unions had been bracing for a stinging defeat in a lawsuit over whether they can collect fees from government workers who choose not to join the union. The case affects more than 5 million workers in 23 states and Washington, D.C., and seeks to overturn a nearly 40-year-old Supreme Court decision.

是的，至少短時間內如此。許多案件包含有組織之勞工，過去是以5比4定案，其中保守派法官反對，聯手支持的工會與自由派法官。懸而未決的案子過去大都相似。公家機構的工會團體，是否能向選擇不加入工會的員工收取費用，在一場官司中，工會過去一直努力為慘痛的敗訴而奮戰。此案攸關23州及華盛頓特區超過500萬以上的工人，也尋求推翻最高法庭40年之久的裁決。To

Now, what seemed like a certain 5-4 split, with the conservatives in the majority and the liberals in dissent, instead looks like a tie that would be resolved in favor of the unions, because they won in the lower courts.

從前似乎是某種5比4的分岐，保守派佔多數，而自由派反對的案子，現在看起來倒是平手，有利於工會之判決，因他們在基層法院己勝訴。

To be continued 未完

Justin Lai 選自網路

02/25/2016