Reflections on the ruling of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania of 17 April 2025 on the institution of partnership: in response to the criticism of alleged judicial activism
ENThe ruling of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania of 17 April 2025 on the institution of cohabitation without marriage (partnership), by which Art. 28 of the Law on the Approval, Entry into Force, and Implementation of the Civil Code and Art. 3.229 of the Civil Code were declared in conflict with the Constitution, insofar as they provided for a partnership only between a man and a woman, was hailed by Lithuanian human rights activists and the LGBT+ community as a historic decision. However, there were also those who criticised it, labelling it as an instance of judicial activism on the part of the Constitutional Court. This paper aims to address the question of whether the said ruling can indeed be regarded as an instance of judicial activism in the context of the well-established constitutional doctrine and the interpretative tools availed of by the Constitutional Court. Keywords: judicial activism, judicial discretion, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, legal recognition of partnership of unmarried couples, response to the criticism.
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