Eternal constitutional ideals: how unchangeable are they in a changing world?

Occupation: Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation
Affiliation: Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation
Address: Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

Journal name

Gosudarstvo i pravo

Edition

Issue 6

Pages

20-34

Abstract

On the basis of the analysis of fundamental constitutional ideals as a special political and legal phenomenon the article dedicates to the author's understanding of their legal nature, limits of stability, and invariability. Such approach required an axiological assessment of the Constitution itself in terms of its stability and dynamism as a formal and legal ideal of legal “eternity”. Institution and legal recognition of constitutional ideals is accomplished by fixing the foundations of the constitutional system, human and civil rights, values of equality, justice, dignity, constituting a kind of “metalegal” part of the Basic Law. The normative content of these categories inherently combines legal and moral-ethical, national (socio-cultural) and universal requirements; therefore, it is important to take into account their different nature in modern legal systems that determine different criteria for balancing interests in the search for the common good: economic pragmatism, on the one hand, and social justice - on the other.

The evolution of the Constitution of the Russian Federation based on adherence to fundamental ideals, provided by both the legislator and the means of constitutional proceedings and implemented within the framework of the constitutional reform in 2020 is meant to be a factor to overcome modern threats to the law and constitutional order and a prerequisite for stability, on the one hand, and dynamism for the future of “eternal” fundamental constitutional provisions - on the other.

Keywords

“eternal” (unchangeable) constitutional ideals, stability and dynamism of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, constitutional amendments, constitutionalism, constitutional proceedings, threats to the law, personal dignity, equality, fairness, public authority

Received

16.04.2020

Publication date

23.06.2020

Number of characters

58080

Cite

GOST	Bondar N. "Eternal" constitutional ideals: how unchangeable are they in a changing world? // Gosudarstvo i pravo – 2020. – Issue 6 C. 20-34 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://gospravo-journal.ru/S013207690009933-8-1 (circulation date: 26.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013207690009933-8
MLA	Bondar, Nikolay S ""Eternal" constitutional ideals: how unchangeable are they in a changing world?." Gosudarstvo i pravo 6 (2020):20-34. DOI: 10.31857/S013207690009933-8
APA	Bondar N. (2020). "Eternal" constitutional ideals: how unchangeable are they in a changing world?. Gosudarstvo i pravo (6), pp.20-34 DOI: 10.31857/S013207690009933-8

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