Ar teismui lengva išlikti tik interpretatoriumi?

LTRiba tarp teisės interpretacijos ir teisės kūrimo kartais yra tokia neryški, kad teismų sprendimai sukelia diskusijas, ar teisminė valdžia nepiktnaudžiauja perimdama įstatymų leidžiamosios valdžios funkcijas. Sustiprėjus bendrosios teisės sistemos įtakai kontinentinei teisei stare decisis doktrinos idėjos perkeliamos ir į Lietuvos teisinę sistemą, o sąvoka "teismo precedentas" tapo beveik tokia pat įprasta, kaip ir "teismo sprendimas". Todėl šio straipsnio objektu pasirinkta teismo precedento samprata Lietuvos teisinėje sistemoje. Straipsnyje pirmiausia aptariami teismo precedento ypatumai Lietuvos teisinėje sistemoje. Šis klausimas yra tiesiogiai susijęs su teismo vaidmeniu. Bendrojoje teisėje teismas atlieka teisės kūrėjo vaidmenį precedentiniais sprendimais nustatydamas atitinkamo elgesio taisykles, o Lietuvos teisinėje sistemoje "precedentinis sprendimas" reiškia teisės interpretacijos būdu teismo pasiektą rezultatą. Remiantis Lietuvos Respublikos civilinio kodekso bei teismų praktikos pavyzdžiais straipsnyje nagrinėjamos kai kurios ribinius teisės aiškinimo ar kūrimo atvejus lemiančios priežastys: netobula įstatymų leidyba, teismo siekimas bet kokia kaina apginti nukentėjusiąją ginčo šalį ir kt. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Civilio proceso teisė; Teisės aiškinimas; Interpretavimas; Precedentas; Stare decisis; Teismų praktika; Teisės spraga.; Civil procedure law; Interpretation of law; Precedent; Stare decisis; Judicial practice; Civilinio proceso teisė; Legal gaps.; Civil procedural law.

ENThe boundary between interpretation and creation of law is sometimes so subtle and intangible that the court judgments may give rise to discussions about judges having taken the role of lawmakers. This article reveals the concept of ‘precedent' in the Lithuanian legal system as the influence of the common law has increased on the continental law and ideas of stare decisis have been transferred to the Lithuanian legal system. The start for this was a famous judgment of 28 March 2006 by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, where the court held that courts adopting decisions in cases of corresponding categories are bound by their own decisions in analogous cases; the courts of lower instance are bound by the decisions of the courts of higher instance in cases of the same categories. The notion of precedent has been widely used in the decisions of the Supreme Court of Lithuania. Thus, the term "precedent” has become almost as common as ‘judicial decision'. However, it is important to note that in the jurisprudence of Lithuanian courts and legal literature the notion of precedent has a different meaning than in the common law countries. It is, obviously, due to the different principles of the formation of the two systems: the common law and the continental law.First of all, the term ‘precedent' used in its general sense in the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania and the Supreme Court of Lithuania has to be construed as a judicial decision which has been made as a result of interpretation of law and which must serve as an example for other courts hearing similar cases. However, it is not a primary source of law. On the other hand, legislators sometimes create such situations (for example, ambiguous terms, excessive use of mandatory rules) and the court is forced to exceed its powers of linguistic interpretation of legal norms and as a result decisions may become similar to ‘precedent' in the direct meaning of this term. Cases when the court interprets law in an unconventional way seeking to defend the injured party of the dispute at any cost may also be considered ‘precedents'. [From the publication]