Review:

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation: An Interpretation of the Experience. A Monograph, edited by A. N. Medushevsky, Center for Constitutional Studies, Moscow 2022, 652 pages

Abstract

The reviewed collective book Конституционный Суд России: осмысление опыта [The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation: An Interpretation of the Experience] is an exhaustive, multi‑faceted study of the evolution of Russia’s constitutional judiciary from the final years of the USSR to the 2020 constitutional reform. The volume, comprising 15 chapters, examines the legal foundations of the organization and functioning of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, its competences, key jurisprudence, relations with the executive and legislative branches, as well as ethical and social issues linked to its activity and its role within multilevel constitutionalism.

The authors propose the thesis, presented by Andrei Mesushevsky, the editor of the book and an outstanding scholar, of a constitutional cycle in Russia, highlighting the gradual shift from a liberal rule‑of-law model to an authoritarian system of governance. Generally, all chapters of the book confirm this thesis by demonstrating that the erosion of an independent constitutional judiciary has been caused from the outside (i.e. other branches of powers), from the inside (through certain attitudes of judges and how they adjudicate) and with a relatively passive attitude of the Russian society, which, lacking a rich experience of functioning in the rule of law, first of all fails to understand the relevance of the Constitutional Court in the system of state organs.

The work deserves high praise for both its scholarly rigour and its courage in addressing topics uncomfortable for the authorities, especially given the conditions of censorship in Russia. The publication is a valuable resource for lawyers and political scientists studying Russia’s constitutional transformation and mechanisms of constitutional review in authoritarian systems.