Constitutional Law in the System of Russian Law: A Unique Nature of the Constitutional Law Subject Matter

The article on the basis of the provisions of the Constitution of Russia, constitutional legal acts and scientific publications highlights the most important features of the subject matter of constitutional law. Particular attention is paid to the consideration of a unique nature of two aspects of the subject matter of this field of law: a unique nature of the content and normative composition of constitutional law. The author argues that in many respects due to the specified aspects of the subject matter the branch in question functions as the key branch in the legal system of the Russian Federation. The most important feature of its subject matter is that it establishes the foundations of legal relations between a person and a State, the federative structure of the State, as well as the form of government and municipal authority. The need to regulate relations in question in compliance with constitutional law is caused by the fact that at the present stage of development of human civilization only the State is an absolutely dominant way of organizing the society; the State is a necessary condition for the optimal existence of human civilization. At the same time, the State, as the dominant factor of modern social existence, is not inherent in human nature. Therefore, the key conceptual significance is attached to such regulation of relations between a person and the State that is able to determine State activity within the boundaries of a certain framework. That is, to limit it so that the State does not prevail over the individual. In other words, modern constitutional law assumes that the state exists for a person rather than a person for the State. It is this legal idea that is the core principle of organizing the State and constitutional law as the leading branch determining the foundations of the status of the State and the framework of its activities for the benefit of the person. Also, the article examines a special role and significant proportion of norms-principles and norms-definitions in the Constitution and constitutional legislation of Russia as a factor influencing the leading role of the branch in question in the RF legal system. Compared with other branches, constitutional law has a much larger proportion of norms that have the constitutive nature of prescriptions. Constitutional law is especially closely connected with the norms of morality.

Constitution, constitutional law, subject matter of the branch, constitutional legislation, norms-principles, norms-definitions, norms of morality, constitutive norms, complex branch, leading branch of law

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