Constitutional Court of Russia

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation (Russian Конституционный Суд Российской Федерации ) is the Russian Constitution controlling body.

The court was established in 1991. It examines laws and other legal norms for their compatibility with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Since 2008, the seat of the Constitutional Court of Saint Petersburg.

President of the Constitutional Court ( August 1991 to October 1993 and March 2003 ) is Valeri Sorkin.

Task

Task of the Constitutional Court is the constitutional protection of civil and human rights and safeguarding the constitutional sovereignty over the entire territory of the Russian Federation.

Composition

The Constitutional Court consists of two chambers, each with ten or nine judges, significant disputes are, however, addressed in plenary sessions in which the judges of both Houses are represented.

The 19 Constitutional Court judges are appointed on the proposal of the President of Russia by the Federation Council pursuant to Article 128 § 1 of the Constitution. There is an age limit of 70 years. Constitutional Court judges may not be re-elected.

At the candidates for the office of Constitutional Court judge will be provided in addition to other requirements of Russian citizenship and a minimum age of 40 years. It required a high reputation, higher legal education, at least 15 years work experience in a legal profession and a recognized high qualification in the field of law. Therefore, currently 12 Constitutional Court judges have the scientific degree of Doctor of Law.

A deputy's mandate, another government office, the maintenance of a private law firm and political activity are incompatible with the office of judge.

The powers of the Constitutional Court judges may be revoked or restricted only in cases provided for by law.

The court is able to make decisions in the presence of at least three quarters of the judges.

Responsibilities

The Constitutional Court examines the constitutionality of legal norms always.

The following norms are to be distinguished:

However, the court can not act on its own, but should be called.

The following procedures are provided:

  • Abstract norm control
  • Concrete norm control
  • Dispute between organs
  • Conflict of competence between the Federation and its subjects
  • Constitutional complaint
  • Legal Opinion

The Constitutional Court may be called upon to resolve questions of constitutional interpretation. The interpretation of the Constitutional Court 's official and binding.

Significant decisions

The Constitutional Court sat in 1999 a moratorium in force, which exposed all death sentences and pronounce ban more death sentences. 2009, the court ruled that the Russian Federation has teamed up with the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits the death penalty in peacetime, obliged to abolish this. Thus, the death penalty in Russia, according to the then Chairman of the Court, Valeri Sorkin, finally abolished.

Duma Verfassungsbeschwerde Moratorium (law)
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