2012年憲法發展回顧

Developments in the Law in 2012: Constitutional Law

本文從憲法解釋、重要立法、以及重要事件等三個面向，來回顧2012年的憲政發展。本文觀察發現，由於在2012年初所舉行的立法委員及總統大選中，執政的國民黨繼續掌有行政及立法兩權，本年度的憲政發展平穩、甚至略顯遲滯。而此一持平發展的情勢，亦表現在司法權的面向。司法院大法官在本年度所作成的12件解釋，均為憲法解釋；所涉議題，絕大多數與基本權利相關；而解釋所涉及的規範標的，亦多為租稅相關法令。值得注意的是，在12件解釋中，有多達8件解釋含有全部或部分的違憲宣告；惟因多數是租稅案件，在基本權利保障或憲政價值理念的深化上，並沒有突破性的進展。相較進展有限的憲政部門，反倒是因為都市更新及媒體壟斷等相關人權侵害爭議，帶動了民間更為昂揚的人權意識與活絡的公民行動。

This Article looks into the constitutional development of 2012 in three aspects including constitutional interpretations, important legislation, and key events of political and social mobilization. This Article finds that because the incumbent political party won both presidential and legislative election in the beginning of 2012 and continued its political dominance, not any significant policy change was made, leading to a stable, even somewhat stagnant, constitutional development. Similar stability is also observable in the all twelve constitutional interpretations rendered by the Constitutional Court, which like previous years are mostly concerned with the protection of fundamental rights in the impugned regulations of taxation without much further articulation in fundamental rights or constitutional principles. Noticeably however, the rulings that declared unconstitutionality of challenged laws or regulations seem to be on a steady rise: eight out of twelve declaring in whole or in part unconstitutionality this year. Compared to rather stagnant constitutional politics, civic actions challenging human rights infringement occupied most attention of 2012 as exemplified in constitutional controversies of urban renewal and media monopolies.