Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation

Powers of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation are enumerated in Article 125 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, according to which the Court:   

• decides on conformity with the Constitution of the Russian Federation:

- of federal constitutional laws, federal laws, acts of the President, the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Government of the Russian Federation;

- of constitutions of republics, charters, laws and other normative acts of territorial entities of the Russian Federation adopted within the jurisdiction of the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and shared jurisdiction of the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and the bodies of state power of territorial entities of the Russian Federation;     

- of agreements between bodies of State power of the Russian Federation, between bodies of State power and constituent entities of the Russian Federation, as well as between supreme bodies of state power of constituent entities of the Russian Federation;

- of international treaties which have not come into force;

• Resolves competence disputes;

• Upon complaints about violations of constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, verifies the constitutionality of a law which has been applied in a specific case, shall all the other national means of legal protection be exhausted, and upon request by courts verifies the constitutionality of a law which ought to be applied in a specific case;

• Interprets the Constitution of the Russian Federation;

• Upon request by the President of the Russian Federation exercises a priori constitutional control of laws, including laws on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation;

• Resolves the issue of possibility of execution of interstate bodies decisions, adopted on the ground of provisions of international treaties of the Russian Federation in the interpretation contrary to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and of possibility of execution of a foreign or international (interstate) court decision, foreign or international arbitration court decision, obliging the Russian Federation, in case such a decision contradict public order foundations of the Russian Federation;          

• Rules on the observance of a prescribed procedure for charging the President of the Russian Federation with high treason or other grave offense;

Moreover, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation reviews constitutionality of issues put to the referendum.