The Confluence of Public and Private International Law: Justice, Pluralism and Subsidiarity in the International Constitutional Ordering of Private Law

420 Pages·2009·2.18 MB·English

by  Alex Mills

THE CONFLUENCE OF PUBLIC AND
PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW
A sharp distinction is usually drawn between public international law,
concernedwiththerightsandobligationsofstateswithrespecttoother
states and individuals, and private international law, concerned with
issuesofjurisdiction,applicablelawandtherecognitionandenforcement
offoreignjudgmentsininternationalprivatelawdisputesbeforenational
courts. Through the adoption of an international systemic perspective,
DrAlexMillschallengesthisdistinctionbyexploringthewaysinwhich
norms of public international law shape and are given effect through
privateinternationallaw.Basedonananalysisofthehistoryofprivate
international law, its role in US, EU, Australian and Canadian federal
constitutionallaw,anditsrelationshipwithinternationalconstitutional
law,herejectsitsconventionalcharacterisationaspurelynationallaw.He
argues instead that private international law effects an international
ordering of regulatory authority in private law, structured by interna-
tionalprinciplesofjustice,pluralismandsubsidiarity.
alexmillsistheSlaughterandMayLecturerinLawatSelwynCollege,
UniversityofCambridge.

THE CONFLUENCE
OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
INTERNATIONAL LAW
Justice, Pluralism and Subsidiarity in the International
Constitutional Ordering of Private Law
ALEX MILLS
cambridge university press
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Mills,Alex.
Theconfluenceofpublicandprivateinternationallaw:justice,pluralismand
subsidiarityintheinternationalconstitutionalorderingofprivatelaw/AlexMills.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-521-51541-2
1. Conflictoflaws. 2. Internationallaw. 3. Internationalandmunicipallaw. I. Title.
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341–dc22
2009005509
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Anyonewatchingkeenlythestealthyconvergenceofhuman
lots, sees a slow preparation of effects from one life on
another,whichtellslikeacalculatedironyontheindifference
or the frozen stare with which we look at our unintroduced
neighbour.
GeorgeEliot,Middlemarch(1874),ChapterXI

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments pagexi
Indexofcases,judicialopinionsandarbitralawards xii
Abbreviations xxiv
1 Justice,pluralismandtheinternationalperspective 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Justice,pluralismandprivateinternationallaw 3
1.2.1. Justiceandtheapplicationofforeignlaw 4
1.2.2. Justiceandjurisdiction 6
1.2.3. Justiceandforeignjudgments 8
1.2.4. Partyexpectations 8
1.2.5. Conclusions 10
1.3 Perspectivesonprivateinternationallaw 10
1.3.1. Thesystemicperspective 10
1.3.2. Nationalandinternationalperspectives 12
1.3.3. Autonomyandmutuality 14
1.4 Justicerevisited 16
1.4.1. Conflictsjustice 16
1.4.2. Systemicjustice 17
1.4.3. Privateinternationallawrulesassecondaryrules 19
1.5 Thecomponentsofprivateinternationallaw 20
1.6 Theinternationalcharacterofprivateinternationallaw 23
1.7 Outline 24
2 Theprivatehistoryofinternationallaw 26
2.1 Introduction 26
2.2 Theoriginsofprivateinternationallaw 28
2.2.1. Romanlaw 29
2.2.2. Thestatutists 30
2.2.3. Thecommonlaw 36
2.3 Thepositivist‘revolution’ininternationallaw 37
2.3.1. Generalfeaturesofpositivism 37
2.3.2. Sovereigntyandstatepractice 38
2.3.3. Thepositivistaccountofinternationallaw 40
2.3.4. Positivistinternationallawandprivateinternationallaw 44
vii
viii contents
2.4 Naturallaw 53
2.4.1. Naturallawandinternationallaw 53
2.4.2. Naturallawandprivateinternationallaw 56
2.5 Historicism 61
2.5.1. Historicismandinternationallaw 61
2.5.2. Historicismandprivateinternationallaw 63
2.6 Theendoftheprivatehistoryofinternationallaw? 66
2.6.1. Thedeclineofuniversality 66
2.6.2. Self-limitationinpublicandprivateinternationallaw 70
2.6.3. Privateinternationallawasnationallaw 71
2.7 Conclusions 72
3 Frompositivismtoconstitutionalism 74
3.1 Introduction 74
3.2 Critiquesofpositivism 75
3.2.1. Themythofsovereignty 75
3.2.2. Explanatorycritique 78
3.2.3. Normativecritique 79
3.3 Beyondpositivism 81
3.3.1. Newnaturallaw 81
3.3.2. Newhistoricism 84
3.3.3. Sovereigntyreconsidered 87
3.4 Challengestotheinternational/nationallegaldivide 88
3.4.1. Explanatorycritique 89
3.4.2. Normativecritique 96
3.5 Internationalconstitutionallawandsubsidiarity 99
3.5.1. Constitutionalismandinternational‘secondarynorms’ 100
3.5.2. Universalismandthesupremacyofinternationallaw 102
3.5.3. Subsidiarity 103
3.5.4. Theallocationofregulatoryauthority 106
3.5.5. Internationalfederalismandglobalgovernance 107
3.6 Conclusions 112
4 Privateinternationallawandconstitutionallawin
federalsystems 115
4.1 Introduction 115
4.2 ‘Federal’privateinternationallaw 117
4.2.1. Thepossibilityoffederalprivateinternationallaw 117
4.2.2. Internalandinternationalprivateinternationallaw 117
4.2.3. Theslowdevelopmentoffederalprivateinternational
law 119
4.2.4. Thespecialroleofprivateinternationallawinfederal
systems 122
4.3 TheUnitedStates 125
4.3.1. Privateinternationallaw–internationalor
constitutional? 127
contents ix
4.3.2. ThetworevolutionsinUnitedStatesprivate
internationallaw 133
4.3.3. TheimpactoftheconstitutiononStatechoiceoflaw
rules 140
4.3.4. TheimpactoftheconstitutiononexceptionstoStatechoiceof
lawrules 145
4.3.5. Theimpactoftheconstitutiononjurisdiction 147
4.3.6. Theimpactoftheconstitutionontherecognitionand
enforcementofjudgments 151
4.3.7. ExplainingtheweakimpactoftheconstitutiononUSprivate
internationallaw–subsidiarityandregulatory
competition 152
4.4 Australia 157
4.4.1. Applicablelawindiversityjurisdiction 157
4.4.2. EarlyinterpretationoftheFullFaithandCreditclause 159
4.4.3. TheAustralianrevolution–choiceoflawintort 162
4.5 Canada 167
4.5.1. TheCanadianrevolution–jurisdictionandtherecognitionand
enforcementofjudgments 168
4.5.2. TheCanadianrevolution–choiceoflawintort 173
4.6 TheEuropeanUnion 175
4.6.1. TheneedforEuropeanprivateinternationallaw 177
4.6.2. Privateinternationallawandtheinternalmarket 180
4.6.3. Theexpandingroleofprivateinternationallaw 182
4.6.4. Subsidiarityandtheideaofprivateinternationallaw
asstructure 185
4.6.5. Privateinternationallawasasystemofrights
protection 187
4.6.6. Reconcilingstructureandrightsprotection 198
4.6.7. Mutualrecognitionandthe‘countryoforigin’
principle 200
4.7 Conclusions 205
4.7.1. Privateinternationallawasstructure 206
4.7.2. Privateinternationallawasrightsprotection 207
4.7.3. Federalismandprivateinternationallaw 209
5 Theconfluenceofpublicandprivateinternationallaw 211
5.1 Introduction 211
5.2 Evidenceofasystemicperspectiveinprivateinternationallaw 213
5.2.1. Internationallawandinstitutions 214
5.2.2. TheUnitedStates 217
5.2.3. CommonlawstatesandtheEuropeanUnion 222
5.2.4. Conclusions 224
5.3 Constitutionalstructure 224
5.3.1. Internationalregulationofregulation 225
5.3.2. Territoriality 234