Le pourvoi en cassation en matière civile

Abstract

The author analyzed the structure of cassation proceedings in France. He remarked that the French Cassation Court does not examine the dispute, but the judgment which was issued as a result of the proceedings in a specific case. He claims that the function of the cassation proceedings, as well as the role of a cassation judge is special for several reasons. Most importantly, cassation consists in overruling a judgment. The legal interpretation and the justification of the grounds of such a ruling bear more similarity to doctrinal considerations rather than a purely judicial verdict. The text also presents the organisation of the French Cour de cassation by describing the composition of each chamber, their scope of competence, the tasks of the president of the court as well as the overall day-to-day functioning. The author asserts that the organisation of the court reflects its main endeavour, namely to assure the uniformity of the jurisprudence. Additionally, he puts an emphasis on the relation between the selection mechanism of cassation cases and the Cassation Court’s ability to efficiently fulfill its role. The author argues that such mechanisms do not infringe on Article 6 (1) ECHR. Next, the author proceeds to describe an outline of the court session at the Cour de cassation, including the role of judges, parties to the proceedings, as well as the scope of examination of a cassation and the possible outcomes that come into play. The author concludes his considerations by analysing the extent to which the French cassation court may control the constitutionality of legal provisions and juxtaposing it with solutions adopted in some other European countries.