Problem of the organisational and procedural standards concerning judicial system in the case law of the French Constitutional Council

The aim of this article is to outline the content of a constitutional right to judicial protection in France. Thus far, the subject matter has not received much attention in Polish legal literature. It cannot be denied, however, that from the point of view of comparative legal scholarship, France is one of the most relevant points of reference. As the right to judicial protection has not been clearly expressed in any of constitutional acts of the V th Republic, the author has focused on the case-law of the French constitutional court – the Constitutional Council, by reconstructing main elements of the right under consideration. At the same time, scholarly obstacles resulting from the specificity of the French constitutional system have been given due consideration: the laconic wording of constitutional texts, the conciseness of reasons for Constitutional Council’s decisions, as well as the lack of methodological clarity and terminological coherence of its jurisprudence. All of the above difficulties notwithstanding, it has been possible to indicate essential elements of the right to judicial protection: 1) the principle of impartiality and independence of a judicial body (associated immanently with performing judicial functions), 2) the right to an effective judicial remedy, 3) the right to a fair trial, as well as 4) the right of defense. Special derivative guarantees result from these requirements. In its most recent jurisprudence, the Constitutional Council has associated the specific rights and principles of which the right to judicial protection is composed with Article 16 of the Declaration of Rights of 1789. According to this provision, public authorities have a duty to implement the separation of powers and to guarantee the protection of rights to individuals. Without the right to judicial protection there would be no separation of powers nor any guarantees of rights, hence there would be no constitution in such a state.

Constitutional courts in post-Soviet states. A comparative analysis. Part I

Article discusses the problem of constitutional judiciary in post-Soviet states. The author formulates a thesis that constitutional courts in post-Soviet states were supposed to create proper conditions for the primacy of the constitution in the system of normative acts and its direct effect on legal relations taking place in the state. It was expected to guarantee the freedom and rights of an individual. The radiation of the constitution onto the whole of legal, political, economic or social relations occurring in the state promotes the stability of the state’s political system, the protection of values important for the citizens. The author formulates a thesis that to make it happen, proper political conditions are necessary and within them – the control of the new normative acts in the context of their compatibility with the laws of higher legal force, including above all the constitution. The text consists of two parts. The first part concerns reasons for introducing the control of legal norms and the position of constitutional courts in the political systems of post-Soviet states. In the part II of the text are analyzed functions of constitutional courts, political influence of constitutional courts. The second part of the text also include the conclusions.

Constitutional courts in post-Soviet states. A comparative analysis. Part II

Article (whose first part was published in the previous volume of „Constitutional Law Review”) discusses the problem of constitutional judiciary in post-Soviet states. The author formulates a thesis that constitutional courts in post-Soviet states were supposed to create proper conditions for the primacy of the constitution in the system of normative acts and its direct effect on legal relations taking place in the state. It was expected to guarantee the freedom and rights of an individual. The radiation of the constitution onto the whole of legal, political, economic or social relations occurring in the state promotes the stability of the state’s political system, the protection of values important for the citizens. The author formulates a thesis that to make it happen, proper political conditions are necessary and within them – the control of the new normative acts in the context of their compatibility with the laws of higher legal force, including above all the constitution. This part of the text analyzes the functions of constitutional courts and their political roles in post-Soviet states. Conclusions regarding both parts of the text. First part of this paper was published in „Przegląd Prawa Konstytucyjnego” 2019, no. 2, pp. 137–164.