Rule of law as the foundation of state resilience: representatives of the Supreme Court participate in Aspen Institute Kyiv Dialogue

Representatives of the Supreme Court took part in the dialogue “The Rule of Law at the Turning Point of Epochs”, organized by the Aspen Institute Kyiv in cooperation with the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine.

In his welcoming remarks, Stanislav Kravchenko, President of the Supreme Court, emphasized that the rule of law is the foundation that enables a state to withstand even the most critical historical moments. Today, Ukraine, facing a full-scale war, is defending its choice to be a democratic European state and upholding the conviction that the power of the state cannot stand above the law, and that human rights do not lose their value even during wartime.

The dialogue was moderated by Denys Poltavets, Director of Programme Development at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Tetiana Komarova, Professor and Head of the Department of European Union Law at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University.

Participants included: President of the Commercial Cassation Court of the Supreme Court Larysa Rohach; Secretary of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court Serhii Pohribnyi; Secretary of the Judicial Chamber for Bankruptcy Cases of the Commercial Cassation Court of the Supreme Court Oleh Vaskovskyi; Secretary of the Second Judicial Chamber of the Civil Cassation Court of the Supreme Court Andrii Zaitsev; Supreme Court Judge in the Civil Cassation Court Yevhen Synelnykov; Judges of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court Olena Hubska and Olha Stupak; Judges of the Supreme Court in the Administrative Cassation Court Andrii Zhuk and Serhii Ukhanenko; Judges of the Supreme Court in the Criminal Cassation Court Nataliia Marchuk and Serhii Fomin; as well as Acting Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Petryshyn and Constitutional Court Judges Oleksandr Vodiannikov, Oksana Hryshchuk, Viktor Kychun, Vasyl Lemak, Olha Sovhyria, Oleh Pervomaiskyi, and Halyna Yurovska.

During the discussion, participants shared their thoughts on the evolution of the rule of law principle and its perception by society amid the spread of populist narratives. Particular attention was given to the relationship between this principle and the principles of judicial independence and the mandatory enforcement of court decisions, as well as issues concerning the limits of judicial discretion and judicial activism.

The dialogue served as an important platform for professional exchange of opinions on the role of the judiciary in ensuring the rule of law and strengthening democratic values in the face of modern challenges. Consistent adherence to this principle is the key to public trust in the justice system and the resilience of the state during times of profound transformation.