This article analyzes whether the much-touted independence of the Conseil Constitutionnel (CC), the French Constitutional Court, is genuine. We construct a data set that comprises all the rulings of the CC between 1959 and 2006, taking into account the composition of the CC as well as the...

Freedom of testation has been defined by some as the most important individual right in the transfer of property mortis causa. It is, therefore, not surprising that the question of whether to expand or to limit it, has often been at the centre of debates and controversies. Most countries do not...