The Significance of a Constitution and Constitutionality in a Democratic Society

1. TheSignificanceof a ConstitutionandConstitutionalityinaDemocraticSociety Unit 12

2. Preview: Constitution • Definition • Objectives • Functions • Legal terms • Exercises

3. Constitution • Thebasicdocumentandthesupreme legal actof a State • Greatest legal force; all regulationswithin a legal system must complywith it • The most importantstrategicpoliticalact: principlesofpolitical, economicand legal development

4. Constitution • Aims for stability • Directsthe dynamics of a society’s development • Revisionandadjustments

5. Functionsthatremainstable: • promotionandprotectionof human rightsandfreedoms, • Building andstrenghteningofdemocraticconstitutionalinstitutions

6. Objective • to realizetheconstitutionalprincipleoftheruleoflaw

7. Functions • Establishesthebasis for relationsbetweencitizensandgovernment • Guarantees human rightsandfundamentalfreedoms • Prohibitscertainactionsofgovernmentalbodies (negative rights), andmandatesotheractions (social, culturalandotherrights)

8. Functions • “forms” (constitutes) a state andits legal systemand “checks” all those who wouldwish to subjugatetheinstitutionsofthe state to theirinterestsseparationofpowers, mutual checksbetweenholdersof power (‘checksandbalances’

9. Functions • Establishesthefundamentalprinciplesof a politicalcommunity as a democracyfounded on respect for human rightsandtheruleoflaw

10. Functions • Legitimizes a democratic state beforetheinternationalcommunityandtowardsitscitizens • Declaresfundamentalvaluesandobjectivesof a societyurbi et orbi

11. Functions • Expressesthewillandintent to respecttheachievementsofmodern legal civilization • Setstheframeofthedemocraticadjustmentofinterestsand for theirexpressionthroughlegislation

12. Legal terms • Ruleoflaw • Thedoctrinethat all persons are equalbeforethelaw; governmentbased on the general acceptanceofthelaw

13. Legal terms • Negative rights • Therightswhichpermit or oblige to inaction

14. Legal terms • Separationofpowers • Thepowersofgovernment are dividedinthreedistinctbranches: legislative, executiveandjudicial

15. Vocabularypractice: form new wordsbyaddingsuffixesandprefixes • Division • Divisional • Divisible • indivisible

16. form new wordsbyaddingsuffixesandprefixes • Develop • Development • Undeveloped • Underdeveloped • developmental

17. form new wordsbyaddingsuffixesandprefixes • Fundamental • Fundamentalist • Fundamentalism • fundamentally

18. Make a new word bycombining it with a prefix or a suffix • ____altered • Thefunctionshaveremained ____ for decades (havenotchanged) • ___national • Politicians must improve ____relations (betweennations) • ____ national • Theclearestexamplesof ___ businesscanbefoundinthe EU

19. Make a new word bycombining it with a prefix or a suffix • ___ constitutional • Thisprovision is clearly ____(notinconformitywiththeconstitution) • ___ legitimate • This is a clear exampleof ___ use ofpublicproperty (notallowedbylaw)

20. Completethe table usingthewordsfromthetext

21. Modal auxiliaries • “Allshallbeequalbeforethelaw” • Explainthe use of “shall”: whatdoes it express?

22. Explainthemeaningofshall, mayandmightinthefollowingsentences: • “Court hearingsshallbeopen to thepublicandjudgmentsshallbepronouncedpublicly” • “Thepublicmaybebarredfrom a hearing or partof it for reasonsnecessaryin a democraticsociety”

23. central, regulate, rules, state • Theconstitutionestablishes ___ andpracticesthatdeterminethecompositionofthe ___andlocalgovernmentin a __and ___ therelationshipbetweentheindividualandthe state

24. amended, procedure, written • Most stateshave a ___constitution, one ofthefundamentalprovisionsofwhich is that it canitselfbe ___onlyinaccordancewith a special___.

25. constitutional, rules, statutes, subsequent, unwritten • Theconstitutionofthe UK is largely___. It consistspartlyof ___, for theamendmentofwhichby ___statutes no special procedure ___ (require, passive) but alsoofcommonlaw ___ and ___conventions.