Summary: 1. Introduction. – 2. Theoretical Fundamentals of Understanding the Principle of the Rule of Law. – 3. Components of the Principle of the Rule of Law in the Legal Positions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. – 4. The Rule of Law and the Principle of Direct Action of the Constitutional Norms. – 5. Conclusions.
Background: The Constitutional Court of Ukraine and courts of general jurisdiction play one of the main roles in the application of the rule of law. The article is devoted to the study of the constitutionalisation of the principle of the rule of law, as well as its constituent elements, in particular, the principle of legal certainty, proportionality, and direct action of the Constitution of Ukraine. The article analyses the legal positions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on the content of the above elements of the rule of law. It is emphasised that the principle of proportionality is fundamental to defining the limits of human rights. The content of this fundamental principle is manifested in the proportionally reasonable relation between the purpose of restricting a certain human right and the means used by the state to limit it. In addition, it is noted that the principle of direct action of the Constitution as an element of the rule of law has limited effect and relates mainly to provisions on human and civil rights and freedoms, as well as the provisions of new procedural codes introducing a novelty, which are generally perceived positively.
Methods: The paper used the following methods of analysis and synthesis to examine the main approaches to the definition of the rule of law and its individual elements: the system-structural method, which allowed us to give a structural description of the principle of the rule of law, as well as to analyse the content of its elements, and the logical-legal method, which provided an opportunity to clarify the content of the legal positions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on the interpretation of the rule of law.
Results and Conclusions: Theoretical and practical approaches to substantiating the nature of the rule of law and the content of its structural elements in the legal positions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine were developed and analysed.