THE ROLE OF THE SUPREME COURT IN ENSURING THE OBSERVANCE AND RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF LAW

Abstract

The rule of law is the cornerstone of modern democratic legal systems and an important condition for their continued existence. At the legislative level, it has been recognised in Ukraine since the adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine in 1996, and the establishment of democratic values continues to this day. This scientific paper investigates the development and establishment of the rule of law through judicial proceedings to attain its purpose of delivering justice. In most developed European countries, there is a well-accepted legal tradition whereby constitutional jurisdiction takes precedence over general jurisdiction, thus making the Constitutional Court superior to the Supreme Court. However, the legal reality in Ukraine demonstrates a contrary scenario. As shown by the author, the Ukrainian approach, while highly distinctive, does not contradict international principles about the formation of the rule of law through the courts. Furthermore, the principal legislative provisions completely match the criteria of international and European law. Nevertheless, the study concludes that the excessive activity of the Supreme Court appears to be a significant drawback due to its overly extensive case law. For instance, during the first half of 2023, the Supreme Court heard a total of 63 406 procedural appeals and cases, including 5 433 in the sphere of criminal justice and 7 174 taking into account cases and materials not heard the previous year (Верховний Суд, Аналіз здійснення правосуддя). That is the reason why the Ukrainian legal system is confronted with the issue of defining legal certainty, which is one of the key characteristics of sustainable and democratic justice (Consultative Council of European Judges, 2017). The article identifies that not only is this problem currently unresolved by the Ukrainian legislature, but it also emphasises the importance and necessity of defining the status of case law in the country, as well as the influence of the Supreme Court on ensuring the rule of law. According to the author, there are several options available to overcome these challenges which must be handled expeditiously in light of the ongoing war and Ukraine's eventual membership in the European Union. Based on the results of this article, it is proposed to adopt two legislative proposals. First, case law should be recognised as a source of law, namely the legal conclusions established in Supreme Court rulings. Second, these judgments must be published in the determined form to be regarded as a source of law. To clearly identify the Supreme Court decisions containing legal conclusions and serving as a source of law, the study proposes a separate publication of these judgements from others that do not hold such status. For example, they could be published in dedicated documents/collections, etc. specifically designed for this purpose. Moreover, the author concludes that such an instrument already exists, despite the fact that it is not officially recognised as such. According to the results of this research, the Supreme Court's reviews and digests of case law are an illustration of this particular tool.