The USSR's basic legislation

Until the 1977 Constitution, Soviet legislation was formally divided into the Union's basic legislation (< osnovy zakonodatel'stva SSR i soiuznych res publik) and the implementing legislation of the Union Republics in the form of Codes ( zakon soiuznoj respubliki ). Essentially, Soviet legislation is still based on this technique. Exceptions in favor of the Union are national security,1 defense,2 foreign affairs of the USSR and foreign trade,3 financial authority,4 as well as a few other areas.5 In addition, without formal empowerment through the Union's constitution, much legislative material is uniformly controlled de facto through Union legislation which does not bear the name Basic. Examples are the laws for election to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR,6 budget rights of the USSR and the Union Republics,7 the status of delegates to the Soviets,8 or the kolkhoz model-statute.9 The 1977 Constitution which, by retaining the principle federal law supercedes state law,10 allows for the assumption of Union Republic competences11 is based on the supposition that wherever the Union does not intervene in a legislative sense, the Union Republics are justified in doing so. The task of the following study shows only the scope and intensity with which the three Union Republics in the Baltic region have made use of this right. It shows, above all, that there are special features in this region which are not found in any other part of the Soviet Union. The issue at hand is, therefore, to present a legislative profile of the Baltic states

Constitution · Legislation · Legislature · Political science · Statute · European and International Law Studies · Law

• Sanctions in the criminal codes of the Russian, Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian Republics

  George Ginsburgs•Journal of Baltic Studies•1987

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