Konstytucyjna zasada godności człowieka w świetle orzecznictwa Trybunału Konstytucyjnego

Abstrakt

According to art. 30 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, „the inherent and inalienable dignity of the person shall constitute a source of freedom and rights of persons and citizens. It shall be inviolable. The respect and protection thereof shall be the obligation of public authorities”. Human dignity is the central value of the Polish legal order, defining the constitutional identity of the state. The Constitutional Tribunal plays a key role in the process of applying the Constitution, therefore, constitutional norms should be interpreted in the light of its jurisprudence. The principle of dignity creates a huge normative potential, which - gradually - since the entry into force of the current Basic Law in 1997 – has been developed and supplemented. The purpose of the article is to present some of the key issues related to the understanding and application of the principle of dignity for the last 20 years, as well as to indicate the prospects for its application in the future.