Does the margin of appreciation doctrine of the European Court of Human Rights have the potential to damage the Court’s authority and undermine its progress? Or on the contrary, is the life-saving jacket that keeps the Court afloat? This paper proposes a discussion on the legitimacy of the Court as it looks at the well-established principle of margin of appreciation through the lens of moral relativism and “consensus“ as it speaks to the relationship between the majority rule and the protection of minority rights in a democratic society. A parallel between the Court's approach to “minority” States and a State's approach to minority groups is drawn to underline the complexities of the point in question and provide a fresh review of the matter.

Our 2020 Annual Conference was scheduled to be held at the University of Wrocław in Poland on July 9-11, 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICON·S Executive Committee has decided to postpone our 2020 Conference to 2021. Our next Annual Conference will take place from July 8-10, 2021, in Wrocław, Poland.
Procedural details regarding the organization of the 2021 Conference will follow in the months ahead.
Join ICON•S