The Internal Conviction in the Evaluating Evidence in the Constitutional Judicial Process

Abstract

The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of virtually unexplored issues of the formation of the inner conviction of a judge of the body of constitutional jurisdiction as a subject of proof in the domestic constitutional process. The author focuses particular attention on clarifying the general and distinctive features of the formation of the internal conviction of subjects of proof in foreign bodies of constitutional jurisdiction and judicial bodies of general jurisdiction. It is planned: firstly, to determine the philosophical and legal principles of the procedure for assessing evidence in the domestic constitutional court process, which today are not only poorly investigated, but also legislatively unregulated; the second, to investigate the degree of influence on the formation of the internal conviction of the judge of the constitutional court in the process of assessing the evidence of objective and subjective factors; the third, to determine the differences in the procedure for the judge to pronounce the constitutional authority on the assessment of evidence by a collegial judicial body by way of a vote and in a separate opinion on the basis of internal conviction; the fourth, on the basis of the results of the study, identify ways to further research the problem and justify the need for its legislative settlement. For the solution of the tasks the general scientific methods of cognition were used, in particular analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction, logical, systemic, as well as specific scientific methods of cognition in the field of law – formal-legal, legal-hermeneutical, comparative-legal, as well as a method of analysis of the practice of judicial constitutional control. The empirical basis of the study consists of the works of domestic and foreign lawyers who studied theoretical issues of judicial evidence and evidence, acts of domestic and foreign law, the practice of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. The scientific novelty of the work is that this is the first domestic comprehensive study of the process of forming the internal conviction of the subjects of evidence in assessing evidence in a constitutional court proceeding. According to the results of the research, the author substantiates that the philosophical and legal principles of the procedure for assessing vidence in the domestic constitutional court proceeding are still left out of the attention of law science and lawmakers. The practice and theory of the constitutional court process shows that the formation of the internal conviction of the judge of the constitutional court on the assessment of evidence has a significant impact on the objective (circumstances and facts that were established during the consideration of the case), and subjective factors (personal traits of character and consciousness: worldview, professionalism, legal awareness and justice). Being a form and a reflection of objective reality, the internal conviction of one judge is not a criterion for knowing the truth in a constitutional court process, since this criterion is solely the decision of the collegial body. Problems of proving in the constitutional court process require constant attention from the science of the philosophy of law and the urgent legislative regulation.