The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation is a highest judicial body of constitutional supervision in the Russian Federation, exercising judicial powers by way of administering constitutional justice with the aim to protect the basis of the constitutional system, basic human and civil rights and freedoms, ensuring supremacy and direct effect of the Constitution of the Russian Federation on the entire territory of the Russian Federation

Composition and establishment of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation 

The Constitutional Court consists of 11* judges, appointed by the Federation Council upon nomination by the President of the Russian Federation. The Constitutional Court performs its functions if no less than two thirds of the total number of Judges are in office. The powers of the Constitutional Court are of unlimited duration.

* Judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, exercising their powers on the date of entry into force of Article 1 of this Law, continue to exercise the powers of a judge of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation until their termination on the grounds established by the Federal Constitutional Law of 21 July 1994 No. 1-ФКЗ "On the Constitutional Court Of the Russian Federation" (Article 3, Section 7 of the Law of the Russian Federation on the amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation of 14 March 2020 No. 1-ФКЗ "On Improving the Regulation of Certain Issues of the Organisation and Functioning of Public Authorities").

Powers of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation  

Powers and principles of establishment and operation of the Constitutional Court are determined by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Federal Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. 

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation decides exclusively issues of law and is guided only by the Constitution. When carrying out constitutional adjudication, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation refrains from establishing and examining factual circumstances in all cases when it falls within the competence of other courts or other bodies. 

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation verifies laws and other acts of the highest bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and its constituent entities for compliance with the Constitution, including laws and their drafts in the form of preliminary constitutional control at the request of the President. The court may consider the issue of constitutionality of normative legal acts in the manner of specific constitutional control - upon complaints from citizens, legal entities, municipalities, or upon requests from courts in connection with a specific case. It also reviews international treaties before their entry into force, considers disputes about the competence determined by the Constitution, gives official interpretation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, resolves the issue of possibility of enforcing decisions of an interstate body, foreign or international court or arbitration, and exercises a number of other powers.

Procedure for the activity of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation 

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation shall act in accordance with the rules of constitutional proceedings established by the Federal Constitutional Law "On the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation". Certain issues of organising its activities are determined by the Rules of Procedure of the Constitutional Court. 

The main principles of the activities of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation are independence, collegiality, transparency, equality of parties and adversarial proceedings. 

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation considers and adjudicates cases in sessions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation with the holding of hearings, and in the cases and in the manner established by Article 47.1 of the Federal Constitutional Law "On the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation" also without holding hearings.

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation in the course of constitutional adjudication delivers decisions in the form of judgements, resolutions, and admissibility decisions. Consideration of cases and issues and adoption of decisions are carried out by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation collectively.

Binding nature of decisions 

The decisions are final and not subject to appeal. The provisions of normative acts recognised by the Constitutional Court as contrary to the Constitution become invalid. Acts or their individual provisions recognised as constitutional in their interpretation given by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation are not subject to application in a different interpretation.

Decisions of the Constitutional Court are obligatory throughout the territory of the Russian Federation for all representative, executive and judicial bodies of state power, local self-government, enterprises, agencies, organisations, public officials, citizens and their associations.