| Article title | Human-Centered Principles of the Constitutional Process |
|---|---|
| Authors |
Mykhailo Savchyn
Doctor of Law, Professor, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Higher Education of Ukraine, Director of the Research Institute of Comparative Public Law and International Law of Uzhhorod National University (Uzhhorod, Ukraine), Professor, Doctor of the Ukrainian Free University (Munich, Germany)
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9551-1203
Michael Savchyn7@gmail.com
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| Journal name | Legal journal «Law of Ukraine» (Ukrainian version) |
| Journal issue | 1 / 2026 |
| Pages | 48 - 70 |
| ISSN (print) | 1026-9932 |
| ISSN (online) | 2310-323X |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.33498/louu-2026-01-048 |
| Received | 27.02.2026 |
| Accepted | 23.03.2026 |
| Published | 01.04.2026 |
| Abstract | The doctrine of due process permeates the systematics of legal proceedings and procedures, establishing internal logic and consistency in the exercise of public authority and the realization of human rights. Due process ensures the procedural democratic legitimacy of public authority by setting standards for the adoption of lawful and legitimate decisions. It equally affects the order of public administration and the administration of justice. The article reveals the nature of the constitutional process through the prism of legal principles permeated by the idea of protecting human rights. In this context, the article examines the extent to which violations of the principles of due process affect the determination of the legality of legal acts. It analyses the extent to which such violations are substantial enough to render acts unlawful, what criteria should be taken as a basis, and to what extent they indicate substantial violations. This is considered in the context of constitutional values and the state’s institutional capacity, particularly in conditions of extraordinary legal regimes. Within the discussion of “politicization – justification”, the principles of democratic legitimacy in constitutional justice, linked to substantive and procedural legal requirements, were revealed. The doctrine of due process plays an important role in overcoming legal uncertainty, as the application of formal and value-based criteria eliminates shortcomings associated with legislative oversight or the improper application of the law. A correct interpretation of human rights in light of the principles of law and due process enables the constitutional procedural guarantees of fundamental individual rights to acquire content. In turn, this sets qualitative benchmarks for the activities of public administration and law enforcement agencies, whose actions must be bound by the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court. The legal logic underlying due process determines the legitimate grounds for the procedural activities of officials and judges. Finally, it provides a reliable legal basis for judicial law, i.e., ensuring the proper organization of courts and the formation of judicial case law grounded in democratic legitimacy and fundamental principles of law, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. Understanding the nature of the constitutional process through the prism of human rights imbues it with value and lays the foundation for a basic understanding of its object, principles, stages, procedural features, and the procedure for resolving constitutional disputes through constitutional justice acts. Unlike issues of constitutional justice organization, the constitutional process expresses the procedural principles of democratic foundations for the implementation of constituent power and the democratic legitimacy of constitutional justice itself. Constitutional justice is implemented in constituent power through the protection of fundamental eternal values, as expressed in the clause in Article 157 of the Constitution of Ukraine, as well as the inviolability of the constitutional order. The requirements of due process permeate the principles, stages, and procedure for the consideration of cases by the Constitutional Court, allowing them to be specified in the Rules of Procedure in the event of a “silence” of the law. Since the majority of cases before the Constitutional Court involve constitutional complaints, it is important to emphasize constitutional arguments in resolving issues related to freedom, equality, and human dignity. |
| Keywords | constitutional complaint; constitutional justice; constituent power; constitutional proceedings; due process of law; protection of human rights; stages of constitutional proceedings |
| References | 1. Denning A, The Due Process of Law (Butterworths 1980) https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:o so/9780406176080.001.0001. |
| Electronic version | Download |