The Principle of Appropriate vacatio legis as an Element of the Principle of Protection of Citizens’ Trust in the State and the Law it Makes

The issue concerning the principles of constitutional law has a special dimension because their role is not confined only to this branch of law. They are the principles of the whole legal order. The doctrine of constitutional law deals with the problems of law principles, yet its representatives have highly divergent views on many questions, in particular regarding the constitutional principle of law, the catalogue of principles, or their ontological status. The subject of interest of constitutionalists is first of all the content analysis of individual constitutional principles. Many questions are left to law theorists, the reference to the findings of the Polish law theory or to concepts defined as “external” (developed within the world’s law theory and philosophy) being comparatively rare. The law doctrine and judicial decisions regard the principle of appropriate vacatio legis as a constitutional one. It was derived by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal from the principle of democratic state under the rule of law through the principle of protection of citizens’ trust in the state and the laws it establishes. Although this principle is not explicitly expressed in Poland’s Constitution of 2 nd April 1997, its position as a constitutional principle is not challenged. The principle of appropriate vacatio legis satisfies the requirements of the doctrine expected from law principles, it has a strong axiological justification associated with the need to ensure legal security, and it is deeply rooted in cultural-legal tradition.