Glosa do Wyroku Trybunału Konstytucyjnego z dnia 23 listopada 2022 r., sygn. akt SK 113/20

The commented judgement was issued in a case initiated by a constitutional complaint and concerns the right to possess arms. However, this entitlement is not the crux of the constitutional problem. It is only the background to the main issue, which is the right to good administration. In its judgement of 23 November 2022, ref. no. SK 113/20, the Constitutional Tribunal confirmed that Article 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland guarantees everyone the right to good administration, which is a subjective right and is fully enforceable by means of a constitutional complaint. According to the Constitutional Tribunal, the right to good administration is procedural in nature and is equivalent to the right to a fair trial. The administrative procedure, and in particular the legal rules governing them, must guarantee the party concerned: a) a full and thorough examination of the circumstances relevant to the resolution of the case; b) the right to be heard, i.e. the right to present and defend one’s arguments; c) the examination of the case within a reasonable period of time; d) justification of the decisions taken by the public authorities; e) the right to appeal against the decisions taken at first instance (judgement SK 113/20).