Available in Russian
Author: Anatoly Kovler
DOI: 10.21128/1812-7126-2026-1-189-200
Keywords: judicial power; Constitution; rule of law; judicial law.
The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of “judicial power” in Russian constitutionalism. As a category of constitutional law, the concept of “judicial power” first appeared in the text of the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. For the first time, the judiciary was recognized as a state branch on an equal footing with the legislative and executive branches. In the light of the ideas expressed by T. G. Morshchakova, the connection between the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary is emphasized. One of the expressions of the functioning of judicial power is judicial law, which is also included in the legal system. In this regard, it is important to consider the sources of this law, primarily the law-making of courts and judicial practice. The convergence of the systems of common (case law) and continental (written) law is noted. The question of the role of the courts as a human rights protection body or as a monitoring body of human rights authorities remains salient. The article emphasizes that the independence of the judiciary does not mean its absolute autonomy: the absolutization of one branch of power contradicts the very essence of democracy and the idea of “harmony of powers”. It is concluded that the concepts of judicial power and judicial law have not yet been firmly established in legal discourse and legal doctrine. It is required, as it is done in Article 118 of the Russian Constitution, to make a clear distinction between the concepts of judicial power as a type of state power along with legislative and executive powers and the judicial system as a designation of the structure of judicial authorities. The judicial law formed by the judicial authority should take its proper place in the national legal doctrine, in the practice of law enforcement and in educational programs.
About the author: Anatoly Kovler – Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation, Member of the Higher Qualification Board of Judges of the Russian Federation.
Citation: Kovler A. (2026) Sudebnaya vlast' kak konstitutsionnaya kategoriya: Aktual'nost' idey T. G. Morshchakovoy [Judicial power as a constitutional category: The contemporary relevance of T. G. Morshchakova’s ideas]. Sravnitel'noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 189–200. (In Russian).
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