The public policy doctrine in the conflict of laws has been often characterised as uncertain and ambiguous. This article aims to examine the doctrine at common law from a theoretical perspective in order to: first, determine whether the substantive considerations which courts have invoked under the public policy doctrine are theoretically justifiable; second, discern principled boundaries around the courts’ exercise of the defence. Through a study of case law and an examination from first principles of the normative basis for the recognition of foreign laws and judgments, this article proposes a set of principles that can form the theoretical underpinning of the public policy doctrine, and will examine how the proposed principles can provide practical guidance to judges in their application of the public policy doctrine.

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法律冲突中公共政策学说的理论视角

法律冲突中的公共政策学说常常被描述为不确定和模棱两可的。本文旨在从理论角度审查普通法学说，以便：首先，确定法院根据公共政策学说援引的实质性考虑在理论上是否合理；第二，辨认法院行使辩护的原则边界。通过对判例法的研究以及对承认外国法律和判决的规范性基础的第一原则的考察，本文提出了一套可以构成公共政策学说的理论基础的原则，并将对提出的建议进行研究。原则可以为法官在运用公共政策学说方面提供实践指导。