Mandatory judicial constitutional review in Russia: problems of the theory and practice

Abstract

The paper shows the specificity of compulsory judicial constitutional review, reveals its role in the mechanism of legal protection of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. This institution is intended to guarantee constitutionality in the exercise of certain powers of the supreme state authorities, being an integral part of the legal composition of a decision made by public authorities that has constitutional significance (the application of measures of responsibility of public authorities, acceptance of a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation, convening of a referendum of the Russian Federation). In some cases, mandatory constitutional review is used as a means of ensuring constitutional legality of judicial law enforcement. The paper analyzes the features of compulsory judicial constitutional review: the emergence of a constitutional law dispute in this case is not always a prerequisite for appeal to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation; the need for such appeal is provided for by mandatory legislation or follows from the legal stance of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation; some principles of constitutional proceedings in relation to the order of consideration of such cases demonstarte their regulatory impact in a special way.