Hubert Smekal
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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.
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 | |
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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 | |
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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
Peer Reviewed Journal
Year | Publication | |
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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] | |
2023 | Hanych, M.; Smekal, H.; Benák, J. (2023) 'The Influence of Public Opinion and Media on Judicial Decision-Making: Elite Judges’ Perceptions and Strategies'. International Journal for Court Administration, 14 (3). [Link] [DOI] | |
2022 | Princen, S.; Schimmelfennig, F.; Sczepanski, R.; Smekal, H.; Zbiral, R. (2022) 'Different yet the same? Differentiated integration and flexibility in implementation in the European Union'. WEST EUROPEAN POLITICS, . [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
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 [Full-Text] | |
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 [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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 [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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 [Full-Text] | |
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 [Full-Text] | |
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 [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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] [Full-Text] | |
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
Published Report
Year | Publication | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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 (2024) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.
Teaching Interests
EU Law, courts and judges, EU competition law, human rights, social science methodology