In the preface, the content of the given issue is described by the editor in the form of 5-6 line article descriptions. In addition to the latest changes to the journal, here is the explanation of the Latin phrase on the back cover.

The aim of the paper is to present some of the general principles of data protection law that can be applied to automated decision-making built on blockchain-based data processing in order to comply with the provision of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The analysis focuses on the applicability of the ‘data protection by design’ principle during the development of such systems. My hypothesis is that because blockchain-based networks are built on distributed data processing operations, therefore data controlling or processing of participating nodes should comply with some abstract data protection patterns predetermined and collectively built-in during the system’s development phase. For the sake of better understanding, I presented the human mind and its ‘uploading’ with conscious and unconscious content as an analogy to blockchain-based AI systems. My goal is to highlight that the fusion of blockchain and machine learning-based AI can be a suitable technology to develop serious automated decision-making systems (so-called ‘distributed AI’). The compliance of these distributed AI systems with data protection law principles is a key issue regarding the very serious risks posed by them.

The aim of this paper to examine the definition of artificial intelligence and how AI can be considered in the field of civil law. The topic is being studied by many authors around the world and they are urging the initiation of legislation. The reason is that technology is rapidly developing, but the legislation cannot cope with this. However, in order to protect individuals, it is important to have a legal assessment of artificial intelligence. As a first step, it might be helpful to define the technology from the viewpoint of civil law.

The present article relates to water governance, and within that a specific Hungarian problem, namely, the cumulative water-related damage occurring in the Great Plain (floods, droughts and inland water) and the ambiguous situation of environmental services. Due to the complexity of the problem, the solution itself can only be systematic and can therefore only be solved in the context of integrated and adaptive water management. In Hungarian, this water management is defined as landscape-oriented water management by a research group connected to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The possible implementation of landscape-oriented water management has recently emerged in connection with the development of agricultural irrigation. The novelty of this study is the assessment of the new Hungarian Act concerning the irrigation taking into account the different aspects of hydrology, pedology and jurisprudence.

In the 18th century the centralization efforts of the Habsburg rulers were intensified in the field of mining administration. Their aim was to be able to dispose over the mine revenues without the orders. For this purpose, by the circumstantial regulation of the position of the officials, they set up a new official staff which was independent of the orders. By studying of the legal position of the officials we can better understand the working mechanism of an absolutist system.

During the infliction process, the judiciary needs to take into account the accused person’s personal circumstances, a process which also consists of the thorough exploration of the criminal records of the accused. It has to be considered whether the accused has committed any crime, and has been sentenced before, and if they have been, how many times, when, for what crime, and, last but not least, what the sentence was. These factors may greatly influence the inflicted punishment as a clean record is usually considered by the judiciary as a mitigating circumstance, while recidivists, offenders who pose an increased risk to society, are more seriously penalised. The penal literature of the last few decades lacks thorough studies on the previous criminal records of offenders. In my study paper and research, I attempt to make up for this shortage by examining the criminal records of the offender as a criterion of the infliction process. My aim is to present the actual judicial practise beyond the effective legislative environment and call attention to certain anomalies.

Nowadays, judges are expected not just to administer justice, but to have skills and abilities to realize and be aware of standards and laws which can be discovered and analysed by the so- called cognitive sciences. In case we accept that “judges are human beings as well”, we must also assume that their minds and decision-making processes are subject to generally accepted scientific facts. However, cognitive sciences are less known in Hungary, and by using their fruitful results in legal procedures (e. g. in court trials) a greater level of objectivity can be achieved in adjudication which can lead to more accurate judicial decisions.

Győző Concha’s book “Politika”, published in 1895, is still relevant for the understanding of the theoretical problems in constitutional law. Thus, it is important to analyse the peculiar use of constitutional terms in his theory in order to understand his unique interpretation of the concept of the constitution and its relevance for political and legal philosophy.  The methodological goal of the research is to present the meaning of the concepts used by Concha, and to highlight their functional role. It is also an important question as to how Concha’s constitutional theory was incorporated into his political philosophy, and how these concepts are interpreted in today’s political and legal terminology. It is also the paper’s aim to “translate” Concha’s vocabulary and constitutional theory into the language used in 21st century constitutional theories, and to present and evaluate the relevance of his constitutional theory in understanding the current constitutional problems of political communities.

Although maritime piracy is the oldest crime committed at sea, it is still present to this day and counts as a threat: it not only endangers human lives but also causes damage to international trade. Firm actions must be taken against this international crime and those international agreements which define the definition and the elements of conduct of maritime piracy and also contain procedural provisions to suppress it count as vital elements of these actions. Currently there are two agreements which contain anti-piracy regulations and they regulate several matters appropriately but they also have many shortcomings. In this article I examine the anti-piracy regulations of these agreements.

In the study the author analyses a judgment of the Supreme Court of Hungary, in which a progressive judicial interpretation is included concerning the obligation of fact-finding in connection with the protection of groundwaters. Before this, the author presents the legal doctrine regarding groundwater regulation. The regulation is not only drawn up on the national level, but also on the level of European Union. After the detailed presentation of the case, the author makes some conclusions.

In November 2019 Richard Susskind, who is relatively known and popular in Hungary as well, published his new book “Online courts and the future of justice” issued by Oxford University Press. The author argued rather radically for the necessity of the change of legal services in his previous books before and he has maintained this approach. This time Susskind argues for the transformation of the century-old court systems giving alternative ideas about what sort of methods and ways in which we should transform our courts in order to make judicial services available for every person indeed. As the title suggests, the core concept of the book is the realization of online courts, which has slowly become a reality amid the pandemic caused by the coronavirus. Thus, the concept of Susskind may be called even fatidical from this perspective.