Principle of the state under the rule of law: search for the conception in the doctrine

Straipsnyje analizuojama vieno iš kertinių teisės principų – teisinės valstybės – struktūra. Bandoma pažvelgti į teisinės valstybės principą kaip į visapusišką teisės reiškinį, įgyvendinamą per tam tikrus elementus bei veikiantį teisiniuose santykiuose skirtingose plotmėse. Nagrinėjamos galimos teisinės valstybės principo sampratos, išskirtos remiantis formaliu, materialiu ir funkciniu kriterijais. Taip pat pateikiamas sisteminis požiūris į šiuolaikinį teisinės valstybės principą.The principle of the State under the Rule of Law is a complex category – a proper understanding of its meaning could provide relevant perception of the functioning of the legal system, as well as contribute to the formation of public legal consciousness. The importance of understanding of the principle of the State under the Rule of Law is increased by the fact that this principle is enshrined in the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, in addition, Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania develops and refers to the principle of the State under the Rule of Law in number of acts. The principle of the State under the Rule fo Law in general means that state is governed by law, not by self-will. The origin of the principle of the State under the Rule of Law could be provided as 2 fundamental requirements to state‘s legal system: the restriction by law of the state in respect of individuals and intelligibility of law. More detail requirements towards the legal system could be revealed while analysing the principle of the State under the Rule of Law under the direction of certain criteria. Such analysis is also necessary due to systematisation of the diversity of opinions about the principle of the State under the Rule of Law. The concepts of the principle of the State under the Rule of Law provided in the article are based on formal, substantive and functional criteria. In the context of a formal criteria the principle of the State under the Rule of Law can be seen as a principle, which lays down certain formal requirements for the legal system, but getting rid of valuable requirements; the substantive criteria claims that despite formal requirements some valuable aspects should be added to the concept of the principle of the State under the Rule of Law; in the context of functional criteria, the principle of the State under the Rule of Law can be seen as a dynamic phenomenon which takes part in a system of social relations and directs legal system