Kontrola konstytucyjności w polskim prawie – między systemem common law a systemem kontynentalnym

Abstract

In the doctrine of Polish constitutional law and in the jurisprudence, there has been a dispute for many years as to whether common and administrative courts are entitled to examine, in the course of adjudication, the compliance of regulations with the Constitution. A negative answer to this question would lead to the conclusion that the only body authorised to do so is the Constitutional Tribunal. This issue is connected to the system of state bodies, their systemic position and the competencies ascribed to them. Furthermore, the adoption of the view that the judiciary is authorised to control the normative compliance of acts of a lower order, would result in a more frequent application of that act in practice, which would undoubtedly correspond to the principle of supremacy and direct applicability of the Constitution. The Constitution would thus be applied not only in the relations between the organs of public authority and the organs and citizens, but also in the horizontal relations, between the subjects of private law. The aim of this paper was to analyse and systematise the presented views concerning the admissibility of the application of diffused control in Polish law, and to answer the question, which of the positions should be upheld. For this purpose it has become necessary to explain such notions as the constitution, compliance with the constitution, as well as to present the characteristics of different types and models of constitutionality control. It turned out to be particularly important here to review not only the views of representatives of the doctrine, but also, and even primarily, the positions of representatives of the judiciary, including both courts and tribunals, as those most interested in clarifying this issue.