Hubert Smekal

    Law

    Associate Professor
    Lecturer

    Biography

    Hubert Smekal joins the Department of Law, Maynooth University after working as an Assistant Professor and a Senior Researcher for the last 16 years at Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia. Hubert studied Law and European studies in Brno and Bologna. His research focuses on the interplay between law and politics, especially concerning the EU, courts and human rights issues. Hubert was awarded a year-long Fulbright Post-Doc Research Fellowship (2010–2011), which he spent studying courts and judicial politics at UC Berkeley.

    Hubert authored and co-authored ten books in English and Czech, including the recently-published Domestic Judicial Treatment of European Court of Human Rights Case Law: Beyond Compliance (Kosař et al., Routledge 2020). He authored and co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed articles, many of which appeared in leading legal, political science and human rights journals such as European Constitutional Law Review, German Law Journal, Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, International Journal of Human Rights, European Political Science and Europe-Asia Studies. Hubert has participated in two ERC projects, one H2020 project and three grants from the Czech Science Foundation.

    Hubert has a long international lecturing experience, including four summers spent in China (Shandong University) teaching human rights and EU law. He also lectured at University of Toronto summer schools; Ural University, Yekaterinburg, Russia; and Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey. In Maynooth, he will lead courses on EU Law, and Competition and State Aid Law.

    Hubert co-founded and led the Czech Center for Human Rights and Democracy, the first centre of its kind in Czechia. He served two terms as a member of the Czech Human Rights Council, an advisory body to the Czech Government. Hubert led teams drafting reports on various human rights issues for the Czech Government Office, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Network against Racism. He is a member of the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. Hubert has been a Fulbright Ambassador at Masaryk University and managed Masaryk University’s participation at the Global Campus of Human Rights, Venice.

    Hubert plays beach volleyball, likes watching ice hockey, and listening to jazz-rock and post-rock on his 1980s vintage HiFi system. He is currently learning Irish and looks forward to practising it at Maynooth.

    Research Interests

    Courts and judges, EU Law, human rights, EU

    Book

    Year Publication
    2021 Smekal, Hubert; Benák, Jaroslav; Vyhnánek, Ladislav; Hanych, Monika; Janků, Štěpán (2021) Mimoprávní vlivy na rozhodování českého Ústavního soudu. Brno: MUNI Press. [Link] [DOI]
    2020 Kosař, David; Petrov, Jan; Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert; Vyhnánek, Ladislav; Janovský, Jozef (2020) Domestic Judicial Treatment of European Court of Human Rights Case Law: Beyond Compliance. Oxon: Routledge. [Link]
    2016 Smekal, Hubert; Šipulová, Katarína; Pospíšil, Ivo; Janovský, Jozef; Kilian, Petr (2016) Making Sense of Human Rights Commitments: A Study of Two Emerging European Democracies. Brno: MUNI Press. [Link]
    2013 Smekal, Hubert (2013) Lidská práva. Ideje, trendy, výzvy a nástrahy. Brno: MUNI Press. [Link]
    2009 Smekal, Hubert (2009) Lidská práva v Evropské unii. Brno: MUNI Press. [Link]

    Book Chapter

    Year Publication
    2023 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert (2023) 'Between Human Rights and Transitional Justice: The Dilemma of Constitutional Courts in Post-Communist Central Europe' In: Justice, Crime, and Citizenship in Eurasia: A Sociolegal Perspective. Abingdon : Routledge.
    2023 Smekal, Hubert; Benák, Jaroslav; Vyhnánek, Ladislav (2023) 'Through selective activism towards greater resilience: the Czech Constitutional Court’s interventions into high politics in the age of populism' In: Judicial Activism in an Age of Populism. London : Routledge. [Link]
    2018 Šipulová, Katarína; Janovský, Jozef; Smekal, Hubert (2018) 'Ideology and International Human Rights Commitments in Post-Communist Regimes : The Cases of the Czech Republic and Slovakia' In: International Courts and Domestic Politics. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. [Link] [DOI]
    2015 Holzer, Jan; Smekal, Hubert (2015) 'The Czech Republic: On the Road to Rights and Freedoms' In: First Fundamental Rights Documents in Europe. Mortsel : Intersentia.
    2014 Pitrová, Markéta; Smekal, Hubert (2014) 'Změny smluv a jejich specifika' In: Postlisabonské procesy v Evropské unii. Brno : MUNI Press.
    2014 Smekal, Hubert (2014) 'Evropská unie a lidská práva po Lisabonské smlouvě' In: Postlisabonské procesy v Evropské unii. Brno : MUNI Press.
    2013 Hermanová, Veronika; Smekal Hubert (2013) 'Implementation of the UN Guiding Principles: the Case of the Czech Republic' In: Spain and the Implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities. Barcelona : Huygens.
    2013 Smekal, Hubert (2013) 'Kam se poděla většina? O demokratické legitimitě ESLP' In: Dvacet let Evropské úmluvy v České republice a na Slovensku. Praha : C. H. Beck.
    2013 Smekal, Hubert; Majerčík, Lubomír (2013) 'Karel Jungwiert (1993-2012): bilance působení prvního českého soudce u ESLP' In: Dvacet let Evropské úmluvy v České republice a na Slovensku. Praha : C. H. Beck.
    2012 Smekal, Hubert; Majerčík, Lubomír (2012) 'Vnitrostátní soudy a ozbrojené konflikty' In: Ozbrojené konflikty po konci studené války. Brno : MUNI Press.
    2009 Holzer, Jan; Smekal, Hubert (2009) 'The Czech Republic: From Lip Service to Concrete Application' In: 60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Europe. Mortsel : Intersentia.
    2007 Smekal, Hubert (2007) 'Evropská unie a Rada Evropy - možnosti soužití v oblasti lidských práv' In: Lidská práva a svobody v demokratické společnosti. Kolín : Nezávislé centrum pro studium politiky.
    2006 Smekal, Hubert (2006) 'Pozice ČR ve Smlouvě o Ústavě pro Evropu: rizika a výhody plynoucí pro ČR' In: Česká politika v Evropské unii. Evropský integrační proces a zájmy České republiky. Brno : Mezinárodní politologický ústav.
    2005 Smekal, Hubert (2005) 'Europeanizace práva' In: Evropeizace. Nové téma politologického výzkumu. Brno : Mezinárodní politologický ústav.
    2005 Smekal, Hubert (2005) 'Výzkum evropské integrace a „evropská ústava“ jako impuls pro jeho další vývoj' In: Víceúrovňové vládnutí: teorie, přístupy, metody. Brno : Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury.

    Edited Book

    Year Publication
    2018 Smekal, Hubert; Ladislav, Vyhnánek (Ed.). (2018) Beyond Compliance: Implementace rozhodnutí mezinárodních lidskoprávních těles na národní úrovni. Praha: Wolters Kluwer,
    2014 Dufek, Pavel; Smekal, Hubert (Ed.). (2014) Lidská práva v mezinárodní politice. Praha: Wolters Kluwer,
    2013 Smekal, Hubert; Pospíšil; Ivo (Ed.). (2013) Soudcokracie, nebo judicializace politiky?. Brno: Masarykova univerzita,
    2006 Stýskalíková, Věra; Smekal, Hubert (Ed.). (2006) Zahraniční a bezpečnostní politika Slovinska, Chorvatska a Rumunska a vývoj bezpečnostní situace v Bosně a Hercegovině. Brno: Mezinárodní politologický ústav,
    2004 Stýskalíková, Věra; Smekal, Hubert (Ed.). (2004) Zahraniční a bezpečnostní politika vybraných zemí Balkánu. Brno: Mezinárodní politologický ústav,

    Peer Reviewed Journal

    Year Publication
    2023 Zbiral R.; Princen S.; Smekal H. (2023) 'Differentiation through flexibility in implementation: Strategic and substantive uses of discretion in EU directives'. European Union Politics, 24 (1):102-120. [Link] [DOI]
    2022 Smekal H.; Havlík V. (2022) 'Drivers of domestic politicisation of European issues: explaining low politicisation of differentiated integration in Czechia'. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, . [Link] https://doi.org/10.1080/14782804.2022.2106952
    2022 Benák, J; Hanych, M; Smekal, H; Vyhnánek, L (2022) 'Náš model obstojí, ale bílých míst je stále mnoho: odpověď autorů'. Casopis pro pravni vedu a praxi, 30 (2):451-461. [Link] https://doi.org/10.5817/CPVP2022-2-12
    2021 Eberle, Jakub; Smekal, Hubert; Ocelík, Petr; Krpec, Oldřich (2021) 'Political science in Central and Eastern Europe: integration with limited convergence in Czechia'. European Political Science, 20 (1):183-203. [Link] [DOI]
    2021 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert (2021) 'Between Human Rights and Transitional Justice: The Dilemma of Constitutional Courts in Post-Communist Central Europe'. Europe-Asia Studies, 73 (1):101-130. [Link] [DOI]
    2021 Petrov, Jan; Šipulová, Katarína; Kosař, David; Smekal, Hubert; Vyhnánek, Ladislav (2021) 'Beyond Compliance: odpověď autorů'. Casopis pro pravni vedu a praxi, 29 (2):413-425. [Link] https://doi.org/10.5817/CPVP2021-2-12
    2021 Smekal H.; Tsereteli N. (2021) 'Reforming to Please: A Comprehensive Explanation for Non-Exit from the European Court of Human Rights'. European Constitutional Law Review, 17 (4):664-687. [DOI]
    2021 Smekal, Hubert; Benák, Jaroslav; Vyhnánek, Ladislav (2021) 'Through selective activism towards greater resilience: the Czech Constitutional Court's interventions into high politics in the age of populism'. International Journal of Human Rights, 26 (7):1230-1251. [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2020 Smekal, Hubert; Vyhnánek, Ladislav (2020) 'Determinants of judicial decisionmaking: the state of the art and the czech perspective'. The Lawyer Quarterly, 10 (2):106-129. [Link]
    2018 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert; Janovský, Jozef (2018) 'Searching for a reference: using automated text analysis to study judicial compliance'. Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology, 12 (2):131-160. [Link] [DOI]
    2018 Tsereteli, Nino; Smekal, Hubert (2018) 'The judicial self-government at the international level—A new research agenda'. German Law Journal, 19 (7):2137-2164. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1017/S207183220002335X
    2017 Urbániková, Marína; Smekal, Hubert (2017) 'Postačí vždy jako výzkumná metoda „číst, přemýšlet a psát“?'. Jurisprudence, 26 (4):37-41. [Link]
    2016 Krpec, Oldřich; Ocelík, Petr; Smekal, Hubert (2016) 'Narrowing the Divide: Perspectives on the Future of Mixed Methods Report From Central and Eastern Europe'. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 11 (1):14-16. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689816676660
    2016 Smekal, Hubert; Šipulová, Katarína (2016) 'Empirický právní výzkum'. Jurisprudence, 25 (6):31-38. [Link]
    2016 Smekal, Hubert; Vyhnánek, Ladislav (2016) 'Equal voting power under scrutiny: Czech Constitutional Court on the 5% threshold in the 2014 European Parliament Elections: Czech Constitutional Court 19 May 2015, Pl. ÚS 14/14'. European Constitutional Law Review, 12 (1):148-163. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1017/S1574019616000092
    2016 Smekal, Hubert; Šipulová, Katarína (2016) 'Výzkum lidských práv: Kritická reflexe současných přístupů'. Stredoevropske politicke studie, 18 (4):381-411. [Link] [DOI]
    2016 Kilian, Petr; Pospíšil, Ivo; Smekal, Hubert (2016) 'International Human Rights in Czech Legal Education'. International and Comparative Law Review, 16 (2):87-98. [Link]
    2015 Fučík, Jakub; Smekal, Hubert (2015) 'Noví aktéři na poli válečných konfliktů: Případová studie Nejvyššího soudu Izraele'. Obrana a strategie, 15 (1):5-18. [Link] [DOI]
    2014 Smekal, Hubert; Šipulová, Katarína (2014) 'DH v Czech Republic six years later: On the power of an international human rights court to push through systemic change'. Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, 32 (3):288-321. [Link] [DOI]
    2014 Smekal, Hubert (2014) 'Pronikání lidských práv do agendy Evropské unie. Mezinárodní vztahy'. Mezinarodni vztahy, 49 (4):81-101. [Link]
    2012 Janků, Linda; Janovský, Jozef; Smekal, Hubert; Šipulová, Katarína (2012) 'Mezinárodní závazky České republiky v oblasti lidských práv'. Stredoevropske politicke studie, 14 (2-3):193-226. [Link]
    2012 Šipulová, Katarína; Mareková, Monika; Smekal, Hubert (2012) 'Zásada non-refoulement a porušovanie predbežných opatrení: Labsi v. Slovensko'. Justicna revue, 64 (12):1442-1452.
    2012 Majerčík, Lubomír; Matušinová, Anna; Smekal, Hubert (2012) 'The Czech Republic and the European Court of Human Rights in 2011'. Czech Yearbook of Public & Private International Law, 3 :277-291. [Link]
    2010 Bončková, Helena; Smekal, Hubert (2010) 'Fragmentace společných hodnot? Výjimky z Listiny základních práv Evropské unie'. Soucasna Evropa, 2 (2):61-81.
    2010 Kaniok, Petr; Smekal, Hubert (2010) 'České předsednictví v Radě EU: politický standard, mediální katastrofa'. Czech Journal of Political Science, 17 (1):39-59. [Link]
    2009 Kaniok, Petr; Smekal, Hubert (2009) 'The Czech presidency of the EU Council: no triumph, no tragedy'. Romanian Journal of European Affairs, 9 (4):59-78. [Link]
    2007 Pitrová, Markéta; Smekal, Hubert; Suchý, Petr (2007) 'Principy organizace zájmových skupin v ČR: právní předpisy a jejich změna v důsledku procesu evropeizace'. Czech Journal of Political Science, 14 (4):376-388. [Link]
    2004 Plaga, Robert; Smekal, Hubert (2004) 'Pakt stability a růstu - kritická analýza a perspektivy jeho další existence'. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 52 (3):97-106. [Link] [DOI]

    Conference Contribution

    Year Publication
    2020 Princen, Sebastiaan; Smekal, Hubert; Zbiral, Robert (2020) UACES Patterns of Differentiated Implementation in EU Legislation Virtual, .
    2020 Princen, Sebastiaan; Smekal, Hubert; Zbiral, Robert (2020) Mid-term InDivEU conference Mapping the scope for flexible implementation in EU legislative acts Virtual, .
    2019 Smekal, Hubert; Tsereteli, Nino (2019) ECPR General Conference Exit from ECHR system Wroclaw, .
    2019 Smekal, Hubert; Tsereteli, Nino (2019) ECPR Joint Sessions Exit from ECHR system Mons, .
    2018 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert; Janovský, Jozef (2018) AHRI Conference Beyond compliance – Domestic judicial implementation of the international human rights case law Edinburgh, .
    2018 Šipulová, Katarína; Janovský, Jozef; Smekal, Hubert (2018) ECPR General Conference Understanding Adoption of International Human Rights Treaties Hamburg, .
    2017 Šipulová, Katarína; Janovský, Jozef; Smekal, Hubert (2017) PluriCourts Seminar Human Right Series Understanding Adoption of International Human Rights Treaties: Political Regimes and Commitment Patterns Oslo, .
    2017 Šipulová, Katarína; Janovský, Jozef; Smekal, Hubert (2017) AHRI Annual Conference Political Regimes and Global Commitment Patterns Leuven, .
    2016 Smekal, Hubert; Šipulová, Katarína; Janovský, Jozef (2016) Research Seminars at the School of Law Understanding Adoption of International Human Rights Treaties: Political Regimes and Commitment Patterns Sheffield, .
    2016 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert (2016) ECPR General Conference Referencing International HR Law by Constitutional Courts Prague, .
    2016 Janovský, Jozef; Smekal, Hubert; Šipulová, Katarína (2016) Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies Research Seminars Understanding Adoption of International Human Rights Treaties Oxford, .
    2016 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert (2016) AHRI 2016 Referencing International HR Law by Constitutional Courts Utrecht, .
    2015 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert; Janovský, Jozef (2015) Anti-Discrimination Group Research seminars Ideology, Veto Players and International Human Rights Commitments in Post-communist Regimes: Cases of the Czech Republic and Slovakia Berkeley, .

    Published Report

    Year Publication
    2022 Princen, Sebastiaan; Schimmelfennig, Frank; Sczepanski, Ronja; Smekal, Hubert; Zbiral, Robert (2022) Differentiated integration and flexible implementation. EUI RSC, . [Link]
    2022 Zbiral, Robert; Princen, Sebastiaan; Smekal, Hubert (2022) Mapping the legal scope for flexible implementation in EU directives. EUI RSC, . [Link]
    2022 PRINCEN, Sebastiaan; VAN DEN BRINK, Ton; HOPPE, Alexander; HÜBNER, Michael; SMEKAL, Hubert; Zbiral, Robert (2022) Is flexible implementation an effective and legitimate way to cope with heterogeneity in the European Union?. EUI RSC, . [Link] [DOI]
    2022 SMEKAL, Hubert; HOPPE, Alexander; HÜBNER, Michael; HOSNEDLOVÁ, Pavla; TAIMR, Anna; MAK, Elaine (2022) Flexible implementation and the Consumer Rights Directive. EUI RSC, . [Link]
    2020 Havlík, Vratislav; Smekal, Hubert (2020) The Politics of Differentiated Integration: What do Governments Want? Country Report-Czechia. European University Institute, . [Link]

    Blog

    Year Publication
    2015 Šipulová, Katarína; Smekal, Hubert; Janovský, Jozef (2015) Strength and Legitimacy of Control Mechanisms in International Human Rights Treaties: The Moderation Effect. [Blog] [Link]

    Book Review

    Year Publication
    2020 Hubert Smekal (2020) Píša Radek: Soudcokraté, zachránci a byrokrati. Soudy a soudci v USA, Izraeli a České republice. [Book Review] [Link]
    2012 Smekal, Hubert (2012) Šárka Waisová: Tíha volby: Česká zahraniční politika mezi principy a zájmy. [Book Review] [Link]
    2011 Smekal, Hubert (2011) Richard Youngs (ed.): The European Union and Democracy Promotion: A Critical Global Assessment. [Book Review] [Link]
    2011 Smekal, Hubert (2011) Promoting democracy and the rule of law. American and European strategies. [Book Review] [Link] https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2011.576889
    2009 Smekal, Hubert (2009) Daniel C. Thomas: Helsinský efekt. Mezinárodní zásady, lidská práva a zánik komunismu. [Book Review] [Link]

    Report

    Year Publication
    2005 Smekal, Hubert (2005) Konference The Impact of the European Constitution on the National Political and Legal Systems, Berlin, 13.-16. ledna 2005. [Report] [Link]
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Committees

    Committee Function From / To
    Research Committee Member 13/09/2021 -

    Teaching Interests

    EU Law, courts and judges, EU competition law, human rights, social science methodology