here - Faculty of Law - National University of Singapore

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Judging!the!Constitution:!!
The!Theory!and!Practice!of!Constitutional!
Interpretation!in!Singapore!!
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28!and!29!May!2015!
Moot!Court!
Faculty!of!Law,!National!University!of!Singapore!!
(Bukit!Timah!Campus)!
The!recent!increase!in!the!number!of!constitutional!law!cases!before!the!Singapore!courts!
signals! a! shift! in! the! legal! and! political! culture! of! Singapore.! There! appears! to! be! an!
increasing! willingness! for! citizens! to! challenge! the! state,! and! for! judges! to! engage! with!
constitutional! ideas! and! norms! in! adjudicating! between! citizens! and! the! state.! In! light! of!
these! developments,! this! conference! brings! together! constitutional! scholars! to! reflect! on!
evolving!judicial!approaches!to!constitutional!interpretation!in!Singapore.!
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The! papers! theorize! recent! constitutional! developments,! bearing! in! mind! the! social,!
political,!and!normative!context!of!Singapore.!This!retrospective!is!particularly!timely!since!
the! year! 2015! marks! fifty! years! of! Singapore’s! independence.! It! is! also! the! aim! of! the!
conference!to!trigger!further!debate!and!reflection!on!the!trajectory!of!constitutional!law!in!
Singapore.!
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Register!for!the!Conference!here:!
https://esurvey.nus.edu.sg/efm/se.ashx?s=1CC7023E31F5D45C!!
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If!you!have!any!queries,!please!email!Ms.!Regana!Mydin!/!Mr.!Haikel!Rino!at!the!Centre!for!
[email protected]!
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Judging'the'Constitution:''
The'Theory'and'Practice'of'Constitutional'
Interpretation'in'Singapore''
!
28!and!29!May!2015!
!
Moot!Court!
Faculty!of!Law,!National!University!of!Singapore!!
(Bukit!Timah!Campus)!
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Programme'
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Thursday,'28'May'2015'(Day'1)'
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9.00am'–'9.20am''
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9.20am'–'9.30am'
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9.30am'–'9.45am'
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Registration'and'Coffee'
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Introductions'
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Opening'Remarks'
Outside!Moot!Court!
Professor'Andrew'Harding,'DIRECTOR!
CENTRE!FOR!ASIAN!LEGAL!STUDIES!AND!ASIAN!LAW!INSTITUTE!!
FACULTY!OF!LAW,!NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE!
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9.45am'–'10.30am'
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Interpreting)the)Singapore)Constitution'
Opening'Keynote'Speech'
The'Honourable'AttorneyRGeneral'V'K'Rajah,'SC'
ATTORNEY6GENERAL’S!CHAMBERS!'
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10.30am'–'11.00am' '
Morning'Tea'Break!
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11.00am'–'12.30pm' '
Session'I:'Foundations'of'Interpretation'
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Outside!Moot!Court'
Chairperson:'Michael'Hor,'Dean,!THE!UNIVERSITY!OF!HONG!KONG!!
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Speakers'
Into)the)Matrix:)Interpreting)from)Structure)
Kevin'YL'Tan,'Adjunct'Professor,!NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE!
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Should)Singapore’s)Constitution)be)Interpreted)in)Line)with)the)Basic)Structure)
Doctrine?))
Andrew'Harding,'Professor,'NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE'
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12.30pm'–'1.30pm'
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Lunch'
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1.30pm'–'3.30pm'
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Session'II:'Principles'of'Interpretation'
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Portico!Staff!Lounge,!Federal!Building!
Chairperson:'Maartje'de'Visser,'Assistant'Professor,'SINGAPORE!MANAGEMENT!UNIVERSITY!
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Speakers!!
Rethinking)the)Presumption)of)Constitutionality)
Jack'TsenRTa'Lee,!Assistant'Professor,'SINGAPORE!MANAGEMENT!UNIVERSITY!
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Balancing)Act:)The)Rise)of)Judicial)Balancing)in)Constitutional)Cases)in)
Singapore)
Jaclyn'L.'Neo,!Assistant'Professor,'NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE!
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Uncovering)Originalism)and)Textualism)in)Singapore)
Yap'Po'Jen,!Associate'Professor,'THE!UNIVERSITY!OF!HONG!KONG!
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3.30pm'–'4.00pm'
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4.30pm'–'5.30pm'
Afternoon'Tea'Break!
Outside!Moot!Court'
Session'III:'Legal'Influences'
Chairperson:'Calvin'Liang,'Senior'Associate,'Tan!Kok!Quan!Partnership'
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Speakers!
Whither)the)Autochthonous)Narrative)of)Freedom)of)Speech)in)Singapore?):))A)
Guide)to)Defaming)Politicians)and)Scandalising)Judges)in)Singapore)
David'Tan,'Associate'Professor,'NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE!
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The)Singapore)Judiciary's)engagement)with)foreign)law)in)recent)years:)Beyond)
‘Four)Walls’?)
Arun'Thiruvengadam,!Assistant'Professor,'NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE!
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6.00pm'
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6.05pm'–'8.00pm'
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Group'Photo'(Day'1)'
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Welcome'Dinner'(For)invited)guests)only)'
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2!
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Friday,'29'May'2015'(Day'2)'
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9.00am'–'9.15am''
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Registration'and'Coffee'
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9.15am'–'11.15am'
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Session'IV:'Interrogating'Constitutional'Interpretation''
Outside!Moot!Court!
Chairperson:'Chen'Siyuan,!Assistant'Professor,'SINGAPORE!MANAGEMENT!UNIVERSITY!
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Speakers!
Interpreting)Constitutions)and)Statues:)Are)Different)Approaches)Justified?)
Goh'Yihan,!Associate'Professor,'SINGAPORE!MANAGEMENT!UNIVERSITY!
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The)Shifting)Boundaries)of)Constitutional)and)Administrative)Law)in)Singapore)
Victor'V.'Ramraj,!Professor!UNIVERSITY!OF!VICTORIA!(VIA!SKYPE)!
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Developing)the)Content)of)“Fundamental)Rules)of)Natural)Justice”)
Swati'Jhaveri,!Assistant'Professor,'NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE!
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11.15am'–'11.45am' '
Morning'Tea'Break!
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11.45am'–'1.15pm'
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Session'V:'Theorizing'Interpretation'
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Outside!Moot!Court!
Chairperson:'Nicole'Roughan,'Assistant'Professor,'NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE'
Speakers'
Principled)Pragmatism)as)an)Approach)in)Constitutional)Interpretation'
Thio'LiRann,'Professor,'NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE'
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Constitutional)Evolution)Through)Interpretation:)Is)Law)or)Politics)the)Best)
Route)for)Singapore?)A)Dialogue)
Michael'Dowdle,!Assistant'Professor'&!Kevin'YL'Tan,'Adjunct'Professor''
NATIONAL!UNIVERSITY!OF!SINGAPORE!
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1.15pm'–'2.00pm'
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2.00pm'–'3.00pm'
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Closing'Remarks!
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Lunch'
Portico!Staff!Lounge,!Federal!Building' '
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