As part of the Vienna Lecture Series on Comparative Constitutional Law and Theory, Professor Aileen Kavanagh challenges the conventional view of judicial strike-down powers as the ultimate constitutional weapon. Drawing on comparative constitutional law, she argues that courts often stop short of invalidating legislation and employ various techniques to soften the legal and practical effects of strike-down decisions. The lecture offers fresh insights into how judicial review operates across jurisdictions and why the strike-down is often less final, forceful, and fatal than commonly assumed.

Date: 26.05.2026, 6:00 p.m.

Venue: Room L619, 6th floor | Faculty of Law | Sigmund Freud University | Lassallestraße 3, 1020 Vienna

Registration until 25.05.2026: konrad.lachmayer@jus.sfu.ac.at

The Vienna Lecture Series on Comparative Constitutional Law and Theory is organised by:

• Prof. Markus Böckenförde, Central European University▪
• Prof. Iris Eisenberger, University of Vienna
• Prof. András Jakab, University of Salzburg, European Court of Human Rights
• Prof. Konrad Lachmayer, Sigmund Freud University