2021年憲法發展回顧

Developments in the Law in 2021: Constitutional Law

本文從憲法解釋、重要立法及重要事件等3個面向出發，回顧2021年主要的憲政發展。在憲法解釋的面向上，司法院大法官在2021年作成14號解釋，其中指標性的議題，包括原住民狩獵文化權、街頭藝人表演自由、女性勞工夜間工作、以及強制工作等。在重要立法的面向上，則有因應疫情的《傳染病流行疫情嚴重期間司法程序特別條例》，以及數位轉型需求的《國家重點領域產學合作及人才培育創新條例》及《數位發展部組織法》。至於重大的憲政事件，則包括年輕族群改名「鮭魚」的風潮開始，防疫提升至三級警戒，以及包括公投及罷免等直接民主的實踐。總結而言，臺灣在嚴峻疫情挑戰下，仍能強化憲政韌性，在民主、法治及人權等各個面向上，持續進展。

This article looks into the development of Taiwan’s constitutional law in 2021 in three aspects: constitutional interpretations, important legislation, and key events of constitutional importance. First, there were fourteen interpretations rendered by the Constitutional Court in 2021. Topical issues included indigenous people’s right to traditional culture, street performing artists’ freedom of expression, female workers’ right to work at night, and forced labor. Second, important legislation included the Special Judicial Procedural Act during the Spreading Period of Serious Communicable Disease that mitigated challenges brought to the judiciary particularly by the Delta and Omicron variants amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the two acts –the Act on National Key Fields Industry-University Cooperation and Skilled Personnel Training and the Organic Act of Ministry of Digital Affairs– that facilitated Taiwan’s digital transformation. Last but not the least, the key events of constitutional importance began with young people’s frenzy of name change for free Salmon sashimi, a heightened Level-3 alert for COVID-19, and the exercises of public referendum and recalls. All in all, the year of 2021 represented Taiwan’s constitutional resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic and continuation in progress of democracy, rule of law and human rights.