Available in Russian
Author: Elena Sorokina
DOI: 10.21128/1812-7126-2023-5-103-123
Keywords: judicial activism; transformative constitutionalism; separation of powers; protection of human rights; Constitutional Court of South Africa; South Africa
Judicial activism is a multidimensional and widely discussed issue in legal studies. Although it is not a recent phenomenon and it has long been a focus of interest for legal scholars, there are varying interpretations of this concept. The debate persists regarding the definition of judicial activism and the advantages and disadvantages of its application in evaluating judicial performance. In South Africa, judicial activism is of particular importance. During the apartheid era, the legislative supremacy and executive dominance have relegated the judiciary to obscurity. This paradigm has changed when the apartheid era came to an end. The Constitutional Court of South Africa has achieved remarkable success, earning a reputation unparalleled among constitutional courts in emerging democracies. It is one of the most important institutions upholding the democratic values and demonstrating an innovative approach in dealing with matters relating to the protection of human rights. Since its inception, the Constitutional Court has forged an active and fairly independent path. Its timely interventions not only led to the prompt correction of defective legislation, but also introduced new means and processes to address serious social problems that the government and legislature had been too slow, unreasonable or indifferent in addressing. An examination of some Constitutional Court’s major decisions reveals that it has acted strategically in controversial cases in order to avoid direct confrontation with the political branches. However, Constitutional Court displays little restraint and has used the flexibility that is inherent in the separation of powers doctrine to actively defend constitutional guarantees and ensure socio-economic rights, contributing to the development of transformative constitutionalism in South Africa. The Constitutional Court’s decisions are progressive in nature and contribute to the development of transformational constitutionalism in South Africa. Its judicial activism, particularly in the field of protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms, has significant potential to increase its authority and trust in society, as well as to confirm its role as guardian of the Constitution.
About the author: Elena Sorokina – Candidate of Sciences (Ph.D.) in Law, Research Fellow of the Human Rights Department, Institute of State and Law, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Citation: Sorokina E. (2023) Sudebnyy aktivizm v praktike Konstitutsionnogo suda Yuzhno-Afrikanskoy Respubliki [Judicial activism of the Constitutional Court of South Africa]. Sravnitel’noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 103–123. (In Russian).
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