The Rule of the Courts

Francisco Balaguer Callejón

of shaping a constitution that establishes the rules of the game for all social sectors, the framework for peaceful coexistence within a political community. In the Constitutional State that developed in Europe after World War II, social and political pluralism is reflected in the conception of law itself, rendering a single interpretation of norms and a single solution to legal problems unfeasible. As Kelsen pointed out, the idea of finding a single solution to legal disputes was a fiction created by jurists to maintain the ideal of legal certainty 32 . Therefore, there is no absolute ‘truth’ in resolving legal conflicts. Legal discourse is thus characterised more by the argumentation presented than by the result or conclusion. It is the formal correctness and soundness of the argumentation that gives it persuasive power, which is fundamental to our contemporary conception of law 33 . We have evolved from a formal, logical treatment of law, which aims to discover the truth, towards a dialectical approach intended to justify the decision. New theories of argumentation no longer aspire to prove their theses, but rather to promote their acceptance. Objectivity is now sought in the rigour of legal discourse or in the consensus it generates through its reasoning. Authority is earned through argumentation; it is no longer conferred upon judicial bodies as something inherent derived from the mechanical application of the law. The institution of the dissenting opinion, which allows for the prolongation of a conflict beyond its legal resolution for the specific case through the principle of res judicata, is the best demonstration of the reception of pluralism in the jurisdictional sphere 34 , as is Peter Häberle’s theory of the open society of constitutional interpreters 35 . 32 V. supra , footnote 9. 33 Cf. F. Balaguer Callejón, Fuentes del Derecho , Tecnos, Madrid, 1991. New edition: Fuentes del Derecho , CEPC, Madrid, 2022. Cf. also, A. D’Atena (Coord.) Las Fuentes del Derecho treinta años después. Estudios con motivo de la nueva edición de “Fuentes del Derecho” de Francisco Balaguer Callejón (CEPC, 2022) , Fundación Giménez Abad, Zaragoza, 2024: https://www.fundacionmgimenezabad.es/publicaciones-libros-por capitulos/las-fuentes-del-derecho-treinta-anos-despues-estudios-con-motivo 34 Cf. G. Cámara Villar: Votos particulares y derechos fundamentales en la práctica del Tribunal Constitucional español (1981-1991) , Ministerio de Justicia, Madrid, 1993.

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