Constitutional identity and institutional autonomy of state

Abstract

Introduction. The article deals with the phenomenon of constitutional identity, which allows strengthening the protection of constitution. The author shows, that the constitutional courts are the creators of the constitutional identity all around the world. That is why its principles may be called «praetorian law», as a reference to Roman judicial practice. The principles of constitutional identity form by themselves a core of constitutional provisions, which guarantee historical continuity and durability of any legal order. A nation can use them to preserve its existence in a legal reality. Constitutional identity creates a subordination of norms in the constitutional text. The most important of them are on the top. Such a vertical system gives to the Constitutional courts a useful criterion for balancing different interests in a society. This criterion is fair enough, because it is stipulated by the constitution itself.Materials and methods. The materials for the study include the constitutions of states, whose content is related to the problem discussed, decisions of constitutional courts and the legal positions expressed in them, as well as the conclusions of the constitutional and legal doctrine. The study uses the comparative method, which makes it possible to compare homogeneous legal phenomena, the systemic method, with the help of which constitutional identity is considered as an integral part of the mechanism of legal regulation, the dogmatic method that reveals the legal nature of the subject under study, as well as the dialectical method, which gives a holistic idea of subject of research.Results. Constitutional identity, which determines the hierarchy of constitutional norms and values, characterizes a state, emphasizing its differences from others. Constitutional identity should be unchanged over time and free from ongoing changes to the constitutional text. Then it allows identifying the permanent features of a particular legal order and the state as a whole. Consequently, the principles of constitutional identity preserve the historical heritage of the people, the patterns of its development and a certain predictability of the future. Thus, constitutional identity ensures the continuity of different historical periods.Discussion and conclusions. According to the author, the application of the principles of constitutional identity can give the current legal order an internal structure, reflected in the text of the Basic Law. At the same time, constitutional norms build a hierarchy that can reflect the hierarchy of significant values. The presence of such a hierarchy expands the possibilities of legal protection of the constitution, since the constitutional courts have a criterion for «weighing» public and private interests.