MP213Z Constitutional Law I

Faculty of Law
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
2/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Ing. Mgr. Jaroslav Benák, Ph.D. (lecturer)
prof. JUDr. Jan Filip, CSc. (lecturer)
Mgr. Pavel Kandalec, Ph.D., LL.M. (lecturer)
prof. JUDr. David Kosař, Ph.D., LL.M., J. S. D. (lecturer)
doc. JUDr. Zdeněk Koudelka, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Bc. Alžbeta Králová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. JUDr. Mgr. Pavel Molek, Ph.D., LL.M. (lecturer)
Mgr. Bc. Jan Petrov, Ph.D., LL.M. (lecturer)
JUDr. Kateřina Šimáčková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. JUDr. Vojtěch Šimíček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Katarína Šipulová, Ph.D., MSt (lecturer)
JUDr. Bc. Zuzana Vikarská, MJur, MPhil, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. JUDr. Ladislav Vyhnánek, Ph.D., LL.M. (lecturer)
JUDr. Marie Zámečníková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. JUDr. PhDr. Robert Zbíral, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Klára Kamarádová (assistant)
Mgr. Bc. Michal Kovalčík (assistant)
Mgr. Karolina Michková (assistant)
Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Ochodková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. JUDr. David Kosař, Ph.D., LL.M., J. S. D.
Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Andrea Špačková, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science – Faculty of Law
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • Law (programme PrF, PR_) (2)
  • Law (programme PrF, M-PPV) (2)
Course objectives
The aim of the courses on Constitutional Law I and Constitutional Law II is to acquaint students with the basic concepts and issues of Czech constitutional law, in both its institutional (framework-of-government) and human-rights components. These twin courses pay particular attention to the form, structure, and functioning of the modern constitutional state, which is a member of the European Union and must comply with its human-rights obligations, in particular those arising under the European Convention on Human Rights. Constitutional Law I, taught in the spring semester, focuses primarily on sources of Czech constitutional law and the human-rights part of constitutional law. The specific objectives of Constitutional Law I and Constitutional Law II are as follows: 1. To provide foundational knowledge of substantive constitutional law, i.e., both its institutional (organizational) and human-rights components. 2. To familiarize students with the constitutional bodies and their principal office-holders (for example, to know who the officers of the highest courts are, who the judges of the Constitutional Court are, who the Prime Minister and the head of state are, and the names of the central administrative authorities, etc.). 3. To introduce the case law of the Constitutional Court (which is as important as the ability to locate, within the constitutional order, information on how many Members of the Chamber of Deputies or Senators are required to approve a given legal act). 4. To acquaint students with the basic constitutional processes under the constitutional order of the Czech Republic (e.g., appointment of the Government, votes of confidence and no confidence, constitutional charges, judicial appointments, the legislative process in its basic and modified forms, states of emergency, disciplinary judiciary, etc.), at a level beyond that covered in the theory-of-the-state course. 5. To introduce the fundamentals of constitutional procedural law (proceedings before the Constitutional Court). 6. In the human-rights component, to acquaint students with the content of the individual articles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, and, for each key article, with the pertinent statutory regulation of the rights and the leading case law of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic and the European Court of Human Rights (as well as the principal issues that arise for each group of rights and the value-laden questions that are currently salient). 7. To foster interest in the institutional component of constitutional law (at least to the extent of following current affairs with understanding). 8. To foster interest in human rights (at least to the extent of following the Constitutional Court’s press releases with understanding). 9. To inspire students to pursue studies at the Faculty of Law and to participate in the activities of the Faculty and the Department (including student research projects (SVOČ), theses, doctoral studies, and student assistantships, etc.). 10. To cultivate a measure of sensitivity to constitutional-law questions in the Czech Republic and abroad.
Learning outcomes
After finishing the course of Constitutional Law students will be able to orient theirself in the fundamental questions of constitutional law, such as the constitutional theory, sources of constitutional law of the Czech Republic and their relationship to sources of international law and of the law of the European Union. They will be able to applicate the rules of interpretation of the Constitution and of other sources of constitutional law of the Czech Republic. They will understand organization of state power in the Czech Republic and the principles of the separation of powers. The functioning of state bodies they will be able to interpret both as regards the municipal law and the division of competencies between the European Union and the Member States. The will understand the rules of the relationships between bodies of State power such as the Parliament, the President of the Republic, the Government, ministries, the Constitutional Court and other courts and to applicate the basic rules of the procedure of these bodies. Graduates of the course of constitutional law will be able to file a constitutional complaint on the basis of gained knowledge in the field of fundamental rights and freedoms in the Charter of fundamental rights and freedoms. On the acquired knowledge they will be able to solve questions of organization and management of elections. Students will be able to differentiate between forms of state power and territorial self-governmentbe and be able to applicate the basic rules of their operating.
Syllabus
Sources and Basic Principles of Constitutional Law How to think about constitutional law? Constitutional interpretation; constitutional law and politics; historical context; the role of the Constitutional Court and other constitutional actors; the principal types of proceedings before the Constitutional Court. Basic premises of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms—liberty, equality, dignity, and non-discrimination. The European Convention on Human Rights as part of the constitutional order. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Classification of fundamental rights and freedoms. Negative and positive obligations of the State; the right to an effective investigation. Limitations on fundamental rights. The proportionality test. The rationality test. Drittwirkung (horizontal effect). Fundamental Rights Political rights Social rights The right to a fair trial The influence of the European Court of Human Rights on the Czech constitutional order (including recent case law against the Czech Republic and communicated, as-yet undecided applications concerning the Czech Republic) Equality and the prohibition of discrimination Electoral laws and their principles Citizenship
Literature
    required literature
  • WINTR, Jan. Principy českého ústavního práva. 6. vydání. Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, s.r.o., 2023, 327 stran. ISBN 9788073809119. info
  • ŠIMÍČEK, Vojtěch. Ústavní stížnost. Vydání čtvrté, v naklada. Praha: Leges, 2018, 296 stran. ISBN 9788075023018. info
  • BARTOŇ, Michal; Jan KRATOCHVÍL; Martin KOPA; Maxim TOMOSZEK; Jiří JIRÁSEK and Ondřej SVAČEK. Základní práva. Vydání první. Praha: Leges, 2016, 608 stran. ISBN 9788075021281. info
  • KOSAŘ, David; Ladislav VYHNÁNEK; Kühn ZDENĚK and Antoš MAREK. Ustavní právo: Casebook (Constitutional Law: Casebook). 1st ed. Praha: Wolters Kluwer CZ, 2014. Casebooky, I. ISBN 978-80-7478-664-8. info
    recommended literature
  • Listina základních práv a svobod : velký komentář. Edited by Zdeněk Kühn - Jan Kratochvíl - Jiří Kmec - David Kosař - Marek A. Vydání první. Praha: Leges, 2022, 1664 stran. ISBN 9788075026095. info
  • HUSSEINI, Faisal; Michal BARTOŇ; Marian KOKEŠ; Martin KOPA; Jakub CAMRDA; David HEJČ; Lukáš HLOUCH; Michal MATOUŠ; Ondřej MORAVEC; Lucie NECHVÁTALOVÁ; Jiří NOVÁK; Lenka PEKAŘOVÁ; Filip RIGEL; Maxim TOMOSZEK; Veronika TOMOSZKOVÁ; Vojtěch VOMÁČKA and Štěpán VÝBORNÝ. Listina základních práv a svobod. Komentář. Praha: C. H. Beck, 2020, 1413 pp. Beckova edice komentované zákony. ISBN 978-80-7400-812-2. info
  • Ústava České republiky : komentář. Edited by Vladimír Sládeček - Vladimír Mikule - Radovan Suchánek - Jindři. 2. vydání. V Praze: C.H. Beck, 2016, xviii, 130. ISBN 9788074005909. info
  • FILIP, Jan. Ústavní právo České republiky : základní pojmy a instituty, ústavní základy ČR. Dotisk 4. vyd. 2003 (Masaryk. Brno: Václav Klemm, 2011, 370 s. ISBN 9788090408388. info
  • ŠIMÍČEK, Vojtěch; Jan FILIP; Pavel MOLEK; Lenka BAHÝĽOVÁ; Milan PODHRÁZKÝ; Radovan SUCHÁNEK and Ladislav VYHNÁNEK. Ústava České republiky - Komentář (The Constitution of the Czech Republic - A Commentary). Praha: Linde Praha, 2010, 1536 pp. ISBN 978-80-7201-814-7. info
Teaching methods
Seminars, lectures, on-line tests, homework tasks assigned by the seminar teacher.
Assessment methods
The attendance at the lectures (streamed for the students) is not obligatory. The attendance at the seminars is obligatory. The on-line tests and work in the seminars are scored (maximum 25 points per semester, 10 points for tests and 15 for seminar work), and this score is included in the final exam result. The work (on-line tests and work in the seminars) during the second semester (Constitutional Law II, MP310Zk) is also worth 25 points and the written exam at the end of the second semester is worth 100 points. A total of 150 points can therefore be obtained in Constitutional Law I and II, of which 25 points are awarded for continuous work in this course.
Náhradní absolvování
In case of a study abroad, the course can be taken within the ISP. The terms of the ISP are set by the designated teacher in the electronic syllabus.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses

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Teacher's information
Additional literature, case law, legislation, draft laws and lecture materials will be added to the course materials in the IS.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2026, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/spring2026/MP213Z