Managing in a federal system without an 'Ultimate Arbiter': Kompetenz-Kompetenz in the EU and the Ante-bellum United States

Erin Delaney*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although an 'ultimate arbiter' is generally accepted as a necessary element of a federation, emerging federal systems are often unable to agree on who should play the role. Legally, the debate surrounds the right to monitor the limits of federal and state competences - or the right to Kompetenz-Kompetenz. This article looks at how the early United States and the European Union managed without an ultimate arbiter and assesses the differing priorities of the two systems. It then examines how the Constitutional Treaty might change the delicate balance wrought by the European Court of Justice in Europe, and what lessons, if any, the early American experience might offer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)225-244
Number of pages20
JournalRegional and Federal Studies
Volume15
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2005

Keywords

  • EU
  • European Court of Justice
  • Kompetenz-kompetenz
  • US Supreme Court
  • USA

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Political Science and International Relations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Managing in a federal system without an 'Ultimate Arbiter': Kompetenz-Kompetenz in the EU and the Ante-bellum United States'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this