Translated material
Regional constitutional courts are going to be abolished by 2023
The State Duma in the first reading adopted a bill on the abolition of constitutional and statutory courts in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation by January 1, 2023. This was reported by the TASS news agency.
The bill, introduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was approved for the second reading on October 21. Accordingly, Article 27 in the law “On the Judicial System of the Russian Federation”, dedicated to the constitutional courts of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, will be declared invalid from 2023.
According to the initiative of the head of state, the regions will also have the right to create constitutional councils at legislative assemblies.
According to TASS, the bill, in addition, provides for the possibility of terminating the powers of judges by the Federation Council on the proposal of the president if they commit "serious misconduct."
The authors of the amendments were Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of the Duma Committee on State Construction, and Andrey Klishas, head of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Construction.
On November 18, the State Duma adopted in the third reading a draft law on the abolition of regional constitutional and statutory courts. This is reported on the state website "Lawmaking".
- Constitutional and statutory courts in the subjects of the Russian Federation may decide on the inconsistency of regional laws with the Constitution or the charters of these subjects, as well as demand their change. So, in March 2020, the Constitutional Court of Ingushetia recognized some regional restrictions on holding public actions as unreasonable. This decision was a response to a complaint about the ban on rallies near bridges, highways, railway stations and medical organizations.
- Thus, there is a danger of eliminating a whole link in the vertical of courts, since regional legislation will be under less control from the courts, considering their legality solely from the point of view of compliance with the Constitution.