I believe this essay may be of interest to some of you:

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.c...act_id=1652238

It clarifies the current state--and the evolution--of the ECtHR's decision-making processes, highlighting some of the issues raised by RB and Loki. My view is that the role of the court is open to "civilized disagreement" with or without the consumption of retard-juice. I recognise that both Loki's and Dread's posts in this thread, though not necessarily correct in their characterization of the court's processes, are consistent with their general views on both international relations and judicial review.