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2 See e.g., L. du Plessis, Learned Staatsrecht from the Heartland of the Rechtsstaat, 8 Potchefstroom Elec. L.J. 106 (2005), available at http://www.nwu.ac.za/p-per/2005volume8.html.Google Scholar

3 The author personally witnessed the process closely: First as technical advisor to the government, then as convener of a technical committee responsible for the formulation of the largest part of the 1993 Constitution, and finally as a member of one of the official technical teams supporting the writing of the 1996 Constitution. Some of what is reflected in this comment is based upon observations made during those and subsequent experiences.Google Scholar

4 See, e.g., Dugard, John, The Judicial Process, Positivism and Civil Liberty, 88 S. Afr. L.J. 181 (1971).Google Scholar

5 See, e.g., Stern, Klaus, 40 Jahre Grundgesetz 235 (1990). See also Hans-Peter Schneider, Das Grundgesetz als Vorbild? Sein Einfluß auf ausländische Verfassungen, in Das Grundgesetz in interdisziplinärer Betrachtung 159 (Hans-Peter Schneider ed., 2001).Google Scholar

6 For brief indications of this impact, and its background in Germany's own constitution-writing history, see Wolfgang Benz, Die Neugestaltung Deutschlands zwischen Weststaat und Provisorium, in Das Grundgesetz in interdisziplinärer Betrachtung 9 (Hans-Peter Schneider ed., 2001); Friedhelm Hufen, Entstehung und Entwicklung der Grundrechte, in Das Grundgesetz in interdisziplinärer Betrachtung 41 (Hans-Peter Schneider ed., 2001); Jörg-Detlef Kühne, Verfassungsvorbilder für das Grundgesetz. Von der Paulskirchenverfassung zum Grundgesetz, in Das Grundgesetz in interdisziplinärer Betrachtung 57 (Hans-Peter Schneider ed., 2001).Google Scholar

7 Ackerman, Bruce & Golove, David, Is NAFTA Constitutional?, 108 Harv. L. Rev. 799 (1995); Bruce Ackerman & Neal Katyal, Our Unconventional Founding, 62 U. Chi. L. Rev. 475 (1995).Google Scholar

8 For this narration of the history, see 1 Klaus Stern, Das Staatsrecht der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 49–50 (1977).Google Scholar

9 See, e.g., Derleder, Peter, Rechtsstaat—Sozialstaat—Kulturstaat. Überlegungen zur Fortentwicklung alter Theorien, 40 Kritische Justiz [KJ] 110 (2007).Google Scholar

10 For further information dealing with the constitution-writing process in South Africa in the early 1990's, see Lourens M. du Plessis & Hugh Corder, Understanding South Africa's Transitional Bill of Rights (1994); Hassen Ebrahim, The Soul of a Nation: Constitution-making in South Africa (1998); Heinz Klug, Constituting Democracy: Law, Globalism and South Africa's Political Reconstruction (2000).Google Scholar

11 Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG - FederaI ConstitutionaI Court], Case No. 2 BvG 1/60, 12 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 205, 254 (Feb. 12, 1961) (Ger.).Google Scholar

12 Johannesburg Metro. Mun. v. Gauteng Dev. Tribunal 2010 (6) SA 182 (CC) at para. 43 (S. Afr.).Google Scholar

13 In the vernacular of legal comparison the choice of metaphors to describe this process is wide, including migration, borrowing, transplantation, etc.Google Scholar

14 Seibert-Fohr, Anja, The Rise of Equality in International Law and Its Pitfalls: Learning from Comparative Constitutional Law, 35 Brook. J. Int'l L. 1, 21–22 (2010).Google Scholar

15 Ackermann, , supra note 1 at 107–08.Google Scholar

16 President of S. Afr. v. Hugo 1997 (4) SA 1 (CC) at para. 41 (S. Afr.).Google Scholar

17 See Venter, Francois, South Africa: A Diceyan Rechtsstaat?, 57 McGill L.J. 721 (2012).Google Scholar

18 S. Afr. Const., 1996, § 39(1)(c) (“When interpreting the Bill of Rights, a court, tribunal or forum … may consider foreign law.”).Google Scholar

19 See, e.g., Hirschl, Ran, From Comparative Constitutional Law to Comparative Constitutional Studies, 11 Int'l J. Const. L. 1, 1 (2013) (“There is no doubt that comparative constitutional law has enjoyed a certain renaissance since the mid-1980s.”).Google Scholar

20 Thint (Pty) Ltd. v. Nat'l Dir. of Pub. Prosecutions, Zuma v. Nat'l Dir. of Pub Prosecutions 2008 (1) SA 1 (CC) at para. 375 (S. Afr.).Google Scholar

21 Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG - FederaI ConstitutionaI Court], Case No. 1 BvR 400/51, 7 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 198, 204 (Jan. 15, 1958) (Ger.) (establishing “eine objektive Wertordnung”).Google Scholar

22 Carmichele v. Minister of Safety & Sec'y 2001 (4) SA 938 (CC) at para. 54 (S. Afr.); see also Du Plessis v. De Klerk 1996 (3) SA 850 (CC) at para. 94 (S. Afr.).Google Scholar

23 See, e.g., Sir Sydney Kentridge, Comparative Law in Constitutional Adjudication: The South African Experience, 80 Tul. L. Rev. 245 (2005).Google Scholar

24 See, e.g., Catherine Valcke, Comparative Law As Comparative Jurisprudence—The Comparability of Legal Systems, 52 Am. J. Comp. L. 713 (2004).Google Scholar

25 Zweigert, Konrad & Kötz, Hein, Introduction to Comparative Law 34 (Tony Weir trans., 3d ed. 1998).Google Scholar

26 Venter, , Global Features, supra note 1, at 47–51.Google Scholar

27 Venter, , Constitutional Comparison, supra note 1, at 44–45.Google Scholar

28 The South African Constitution does not have a provision similar to Article 23 of the Basic Law.Google Scholar