Article title Issues of Further Legislative Regulation of the Operation the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
Authors

   

Name of magazine Legal journal «Law of Ukraine» (Ukrainian version)
Issue 12/2018
Сторінки [220-236]
DOI 10.33498/louu-2018-12-220
Annotation

The article explores the issues stemming from legislative regulation of the general aspects related to the operation of the national constitutional jurisdiction body, as well as the setting of the rules of proof in the constitutional court process.

The relevance of the topic under research is underlain by the fact that despite a significant number of publications and scientific papers, some topical issues relating to the philosophical and methodological substantiation and legislative regulation of the process and the rules under which the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) exercises its function of ensuring the supremacy of the Constitution throughout the entire territory of the Ukrainian State, are still poorly investigated.

The purpose of the article is to study the issues of legislative regulation of the general aspects related to the operation of the national constitutional jurisdiction body, as well as the setting of the rules of proof in the constitutional court process; to outline the ways and means of overcoming the problematic points of legislative regulation of CCU operation, in particular, those related to proof in the constitutional court process.

The author draws attention to a certain legal casus present in the current Constitution of Ukraine. This means that, on the one part, according to Part 1, Article 8 of the Constitution of Ukraine, CCU in its operation should be focused on the respect for the rule of law principle, and on the other part – on guarantying the supremacy of the Constitution of Ukraine (Part 2, Article 8). However, the author emphasizes that the principles of the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution are not identical, just like law and the Constitution are not identical.

A separate part of the article deals with the de facto exclusion of legal entities under public law which, in particular, include local councils formed by territorial communities and certain institutions of civil society, from the circle of subjects which may appeal to CCU. The author proposes to amend Articles 147 and 150 of the Constitution of Ukraine and add to the CCU powers the interpretation of the laws of Ukraine by constitutional submissions of local self-government bodies and public organizations which are legal entities under public law.

The author also argues that it is necessary to implement a range of measures to establish a modern system of statutory support allowing CCU to implement its functions of ensuring the supremacy of the constitutional foundations, the principles and universal human values proclaimed by the Fundamental Law of Ukraine as a democratic, rule-oflaw and social welfare state.

Particularly, it is proposed, by analogy with the legislation regulating the operation of general jurisdiction courts and by the example of the Republic of Georgia, to develop and adopt separate laws on the following: firstly, the status of constitutional jurisdiction and judges of CCU; secondly, the powers of CCU and the procedure for applying to it; thirdly, the constitutional court process.

The author also focuses on the issue relating to the restoration of justice in respect of persons whose rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine are violated as a result of acts or actions of public authorities, which is of particular relevance today in the context of the newly introduced institute of constitutional complaint. The author argues that the Constitution of Ukraine does not include into the CCU powers an assessment to what extent the provisions of a law recognized as unconstitutional may affect a decision of the general jurisdiction court and does not provide for its automatic revocation.

 

Keywords supremacy of the Constitution; rule of law; exceptional circumstances; law; legislation; Constitution, unconstitutionality
References

List of legal documents
 
Legislation 
1. R eport on the rule of law: Adopted by the Venice Commission at its 86th plenary session (Venice, 25-26 March 2011). European commission for democracy through law (Venice commission). Strasbourg, 4 April 2011, 16 р (in English).
2. Konstytutsiia Ukrainy [Constitution of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 28 chervnia 1996 r. № 254k/96-VR. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/254%D0%BA/96-%D0%B2%D1%80 (accessed: 12.12.2018). 
3. Hospodarskyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [The Economic Procedural Code of Ukraine]: v redaktsii vid 7 sichnia 2018 r. Vidomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy. 1992. № 6. St. 56 (in Ukrainian). 
4. Konventsiia pro zakhyst prav liudyny i osnovopolozhnykh svobod [The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms] vid 4 lystopada 1950 r. Ofitsiinyi visnyk Ukrainy. 1998. № 13. St. 270 (in Ukrainian). 
5. Kriminalniy protsesualniy kodeks Ukrayini [The Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine]: v redaktsiyi vid 10 chervnya 2018 r. Vidomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy. 2013. №. 9-10, № 11-12, № 13. St. 88 (in Ukrainian). 
6. Mizhnarodnyi pakt pro hromadianski ta politychni prava [The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights] vid 19 zhovtnia 1973 r. URL: http://zakon3.rada.gov.ua/ laws/show/995_043 (accessed: 18.09.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
7. Pro Konstytutsiinyi Sud Ukrainy [On the Constitutional Court of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 13 lypnia 2017 r. № 2136-VIII. V idomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy. 2017. № 35. St. 376 (in Ukrainian). 
8. Tsyvilnyi kodeks Ukrainy [The Civil Code of Ukraine] vid 16 sichnia 2003 r. № 435-IV. Vidomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy. 2003. № 40-44. St. 356 (in Ukrainian). 
9. Zahalna deklaratsiia prav liudyny vid 10 hrudnia 1948 r. Ofitsiinyi visnyk Ukrainy. 2008. № 93. St. 3103 (in Ukrainian). 

Cases 
10. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] vid 16 kvitnia 2009 r. № 90-rp/2009. Visnyk Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy. 2009. № 3. St. 20 (in Ukrainian). 
11. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] vid 20 sichnia 2012 r. № 2-rp/2012. Visnyk Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy. 2012. № 2. St. 14 (in Ukrainian). 
12. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] vid 29 zhovtnia 1998 r. № 14-rp/1998. Ofitsiinyi visnyk Ukrainy. 1998. № 45. St. 1675 (in Ukrainian). 
13. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] vid 5 liutoho 2004 r. № 2-rp/2004. Ofitsiinyi visnyk Ukrainy. 2004. № 6. St. 338 (in Ukrainian). 
14. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] vid 6 lypnia 1999 r. № 7-rp. Ofitsiinyi visnyk Ukrainy. 1999. № 27. St. 1341 (in Ukrainian). 
15. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] vid 6 zhovtnia 2009 r. № 24-rp/2009. Visnyk Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy. 2009. № 6. St. 41 (in Ukrainian). 
16. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] vid 4 chervnia 2009 r. № 13-rp/2009. Visnyk Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy. 2009. № 4. St. 36 (in Ukrainian). 
17. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court] viv 30 sichnia 2003 r. № 3-rp/2003. Visnyk Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy. 2003. № 1. St. 24 (in Ukrainian). 

Bibliography 
Edited books 
18. Sukhanov Е (red), Grazhdanskoe pravo: uchebnik [Civil Law: Textbook], t 1 (BEK 1998) (in Russia). 

Journal articles 
19. Baulin Yu, ‘Dvadtsiat rokiv vitchyznianoi konstytutsiinoi yurysdyktsii: zdobutky ta perspektyvy’ [‘Twenty years of national constitutional jurisdiction: achievements and prospects’] (2016) 4/5 Visnyk Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy 23-40 (in Ukrainian). 

Websites 
20. Ofitsial’nyy sayt Konstitutsionnogo Suda Respubliki Gruziya [Official Website of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Georgia] accessed 12 December 2018 (in Russian). 

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