On some deficiencies regarding the mechanism of individual rights protection in the Constitutional Tribunal procedure

The article discusses some problems regarding the deficiencies of the mechanism of individual rights protection in the procedures before the Constitutional Tribunal. The particular attention is paid to the procedure initiated by a constitutional complaint. One of the essential deficiency of that procedure is its inability to change the legal situation of the constitutional complainant. He or she must initiate the next procedure to obtain the protection of his or her constitutional rights and freedoms. Therefore, according to the author of the article, the Constitutional Tribunal should have the competence to annula legally effective judgment of a court or a final administrative decision that is based on the unconstitutional normative provisions. In such a way the protection would be given to the constitutional complainant directly by the Constitutional Tribunal. The author of the article empathizes that the Tribunal is obligated not only to respect constitutional rights and freedoms of an individual but also to protect them.

Evident groundlessness constitutional complaint

Grounds of constitutional complaints admissibility have in majority formal character. According to article 77.3.3 The Constitutional Tribunal Act of 25 June 2015, the Tribunal shall issue a decision on refusal to proceed with an application of a constitutional complaint, if an application or a constitutional complaint are manifestly unfounded. Evident groundlessness is constitutes a substantial requirement od admissibility. Since it has a character of a general clause, its meaning is determined in the process of application of law. Any doubts whether the complaint is evidently groundless, should result with its consideration in regular proceedings, and full examination of its legitimacy. The possibility of the substantive examination of complaints grounds, at the preliminary stage has an exceptional character, and should be given restrictive interpretation. The practice based on the opposite assumption could change constitutional complaints role as a remedy for constitutional rights and freedoms infringement.

Objective Scope of Polish Constitutional Complaint

The article focuses on the analysis of objective scope of right to put forward a constitutional complaint. Of particular imprtance, for this issue, is the function of constitutional complaint. It is an instrument of human rights protection. Due to the brevity of statutory and constitutional regulation of this problem, Constitutional Tribunal had to determine this aspect of its activity. It is glaringly obvious that individuals are the biggest group of complainants because constitutional rights inhere mainly to a natural person. It is crucial that constitutional complaint is a guarantee of exactly that entitlements. Disputes have arisen with the granting a proactive complainants legitimation for collective bodies, especially public ones.

Constitutional complaint in the Latin America – selected issues

This paper explores some issues, concerning constitutional complaint in the Latin American countries. It starts from the term of constitutional complaint, based both on the Polish and Latin American literature. Such a comparative overview allows then for better understanding the discussed question. Further, there is illustrated different terminology, which is applied in the Latin America. Specifically, there are discussed such issues as the binding legal acts, substantive and procedural premises and the final decisive authorities, which are taking their decisions. This paper also investigates an issue, concerning the function of constitutional complaint in Mexico.

Constitutional Complaint as a Means of Human Rights Protection. Contribution to the discussion

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, regulating rights and freedoms, and in particular the means of their ensuring, was the essence of constitutionalism. Recently, in Poland there is a rising wave of critique of the way constitutional complaint is regulated by law. In its current shape, as provided in the Article 79 of the Polish Constitution, it cannot fulfil its basic function, which is the protection of human rights. A reform that would widen the subjective scope of the protection that grants rights for lodging a complaint against law enforcement acts is required. Similarly unfavourable for the protection of human rights in the proceeding initiated by a complaint is the use of Article 190, section 3 of the Constitution and this is the reason why the “privilege of benefits” should be positively assessed. The essence of the complaint, as a means of human rights protection, is negated by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland, which ruled of the possibility of applying Article 190, section 4 of the Constitution in the case when the Polish Constitutional Tribunal passes a so-called interpretative judgement. In the current state of law and considering the position of the Supreme Court, a reform of the constitutional complaint seems the more necessary. Thus, it shall comply with the vision of the contemporary constitutionalism.

In the article author analyses the experience of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia in applying temporary adjustment in examining constitutional complaints submitted by persons. In view of the case law of the Constitutional Court, the rulings of the Constitutional Court regarding issues not envisaged in the Constitutional Court procedure are analysed as well. Thus, the article provides answers to questions – whether the Constitutional Court may suspend legal proceedings and legislation procedure.

On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared independence. Over twelve years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the issue of universal, international acknowledgment of Kosovo still has not been resolved. The foundation for the establishment of the Republic of Kosovo was international society, which created the legal framework for the future statehood of Kosovo. The problem of the functioning of the constitutional judiciary was one of the key issues during the creation of the basic law of the Republic of Kosovo. This article s to analyze the constitutional position of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo in the state system established under the Constitution of 2008. It presents the composition of the Court, its competence, and principles of organization and functioning. The solution applied in the Kosovo basic law fits into the broadly understood model of the European constitutional judiciary.

The Ombudsman and the Organs of Judicial Power

The author shows that, in order to protect rights and freedoms, the Ombudsman, with the help of various instruments and depending on the infringements found, undertakes actions with organs of the judiciary, on which obligations concerning the protection of human rights and other subjects have been imposed. This article reviews the forms of the Ombudsman’s relations with the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Constitutional Tribunal, and common courts. Their aim is to raise the level of respect for human and civil rights. In this context the thesis of the article is as follows: in view of structural, legal and organisational defects of the state, the Ombudsman notes that new threats to human and civil rights appear, freedoms or rights granted to them are often taken away in a manner inconsistent with constitutional standards, and public authorities exceed the sphere of their powers in an expcessive manner. Allegations made in complaints against public authorities are often verified by the Ombudsman in the course of inquiries with his participation. The Ombudsman keeps his distance from these bodies, which enables him to influence them in the field of human rights protection, and above all to influence the individuals subordinate to them.

Exegesis of the substantive scope of a constitutional complaint – main problems

One of the conditions characterizing the institution of a constitutional complaint is its material scope. The provisions of the Constitution that define a constitutional complaint in the Polish legal order provide grounds for divergent interpretations, in particular the understanding of the phrase „other normative act”. In the article, the author refers to the most important problems arising from the interpretation of the term in question, which have appeared in the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Tribunal.

Constitutional complaint and allegations of breaches of the legislative procedure

I am in favour of the possibility of questioning the course of the legislative process in a constitutional complaint. The objection/the allegation could only concern the procedure of adopting a normative act containing a provision constituting the legal basis of an act of applying the law. The act of applying the law must concern the constitutional rights or freedoms of the complainant. With the current procedural regulation, I believe that there is an obligation to examine this issue ex officio by the Constitutional Tribunal. Practice shows that the Tribunal does not examine the correctness of the legislative process in the proceedings initiated by the complaint, neither on the allegation of the applicant nor ex officio.

A Constitutional Complaint as an Instrument for Protecting Individual Electoral Rights – Comments in the Context of Constitutional Complaints Considered by the Constitutional Tribunal in 2012–2023

It seems that currently any attempt to undertake a substantive assessment of the activity of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal, especially after 2015, is doomed to the need to address the problem of the ongoing constitutional crisis in Poland. Nevertheless, the analysis of statistical data allows us to put forward the thesis that the “popularity” of the constitutional complaint as a means of protecting individual freedoms and rights – at least seemingly – has not been completely wasted even in these difficult conditions. It can be concluded that a constitutional complaint is not a commonly used instrument for the protection of an individual’s electoral rights. Nevertheless, given the constitutional problems raised in the constitutional complaints, the structure of this instrument of protection of the constitutional freedoms and rights of the individual prevents effective protection (ie. the possibility of restoring) the infringed electoral rights of the individual.

Gloss on the Decision of the Constitutional Tribunal of July 4, 2023, file ref. no. SK 78/19

The gloss concerns the decision of the Constitutional Tribunal in case file ref. no. SK 78/19, in which the Tribunal discontinued the proceedings based on a constitutional complaint filed by a limited liability company. The Tribunal found that a constitutional complaint cannot be lodged by a legal person due to the location of Art. 79 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland in Chapter II of the Constitution entitled “Freedoms, rights and obligations of man and citizen”. This view is obviously wrong, and the argumentation presented in the justification for this decision is selective. In the case law of the Tribunal, the ability of legal persons to lodge a constitutional complaint is well established, which also raises no doubts in the doctrine. The position expressed by the Tribunal in this decision exposes the rights of collective entities to a limitation.

Constitutional Reformism. On the Independence and Effectiveness of the Constitutional Tribunal

The focus of remedial actions to align the system with constitutional democracy standards is on restoring the Constitutional Tribunal’s independence. However, this is just a minimum step. For the reform to benefit the state and citizens, it must not only repair post-2015 damages but also modernize the legal environment. The article examines parliamentary bills on the Constitutional Tribunal and and the Constitutional Tribunal Introductory Provisions, submitted on 6 March 2024, alongside a constitutional amendment bill from 56 senators submitted at the same time. The authors suggest expanding reform efforts, using constitutional reformism, which integrates law, political science, and public life practices, to propose solutions for improving the state’s quality.