昨日、今日、明日，論權力分立的憲法解釋方法——以我國釋憲之政治正確意識為觀察中心

Past, Present and Future, Interpretive Perspectives of Different Methodologies on Separation-of-Power Issues: A Review of Political Correctness in the Works of the Constitutional Tribunal in Taiwan

本文之問題意識，主要在於探討大法官身為權力分立制度中之一項重要環節，可能因釋憲而對其他憲法機關之權力發揮政治實踐上之節制作用，也可能因為其他憲法機關運用權力而受反向牽制，甚至有所顧忌而自我節制或者自為限縮。此種現象反映在憲法解釋方法之上，本可從法效果解釋法的運用中一窺其軌跡；而本文亦不僅就解釋文或解釋理由所述從事討論，兼亦從大法官們為解釋時作為或不作為的行止取捨中，考察大法官是否因其觀察自身在權力關係之中的處境意識而影響其解釋之內容，亦藉以印證早年政治學者對於憲法所為法唯實主義式的定義「憲法為權力關係之自傳」，在憲法史上確有可資檢視其實際效度的經驗存在。

The central issue explored in this paper is whether the constitutional tribunal, as an indispensable institution of separation of power in Taiwan, has been able to restrain the other branches of government in the political reality, or is itself restrained owing to its responsibility to interpret the Constitution, or has exercised self-restraint in order to avoid political retaliation. This issue is parsed using the various methodologies of constitutional interpretation, in particular, the method of interpretation by prediction. The author examines what has been discussed in the holdings and reasoning of the constitutional tribunal’s interpretations, noting what the justices chose to say and not say, and puts the choices they made in the political context the tribunal was in at the time. In this way, this paper attempts to test the validity of a realist definition of the Constitution being “the biography of power relations.”