Procedures and Principles of Constitutional Amendments Discussed at İZÜ

At the symposium organized by Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in cooperation with Istanbul Medeniyet University, constitutional amendments were evaluated in terms of procedural and substantive aspects.

At the “National Symposium on Procedural and Substantive Debates in Constitutional Amendments,” jointly organized by Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (İZÜ) and Istanbul Medeniyet University (İMÜ), the theoretical and practical dimensions of constitutional amendments were discussed. Following the first day sessions held at İMÜ, the second day of the symposium, which continued at our University, addressed current and controversial topics of constitutional law. Delivering the opening speech of the program, which was attended by İZÜ Faculty of Law Dean Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ateş, academics from different universities, and students, İZÜ Faculty of Law Vice Dean Dr. Halit Serhan Ercivelek stated that the first day focused on the theoretical framework and discussions on the government system, while the second day highlighted procedural and substantive aspects. Ercivelek noted that constitutional interpretation, the doctrine of fundamental rights, and issues related to the government system constituted the main axis of the symposium.

ATEŞ: “THE CONSTITUTION SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TOGETHER WITH INTERPRETATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES”
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ateş, Dean of the İZÜ Faculty of Law, chaired the first session of the second day titled “Constitutional Interpretation, Judicial Method, and Legal Theory.” Ateş emphasized that the constitution should be addressed not only as a text but together with its interpretation and implementation processes, and referred to approaches of textual fidelity and dynamic interpretation in constitutional interpretation.

KORKUT: “A PRINCIPLE-BASED APPROACH IS IMPORTANT IN CONSTITUTIONAL JUDICIARY”
Dr. Levent Korkut, a faculty member of Medipol University Faculty of Law and the first speaker of the session, discussed evaluation methods in constitutional adjudication within the framework of the distinction between principles and rules in law. Referring to the historical development of law, Korkut recalled debates on the source of norms and pointed to the importance of a principle-based approach in constitutional judiciary.

Dr. Abdullah Eryiğit, also a faculty member of Medipol University Faculty of Law, evaluated the impact of theoretical discussions in legal philosophy on constitutional interpretation through the concept of the “economy of trust.”

PROF. TÜRKBAĞ EVALUATED THE CONCEPTS OF DEMOCRACY, RULE OF LAW, AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN A HISTORICAL PROCESS
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ulvi Türkbağ, a faculty member of Medipol University Faculty of Law, who made evaluations on constitutional democracy, addressed the transformation of the concepts of democracy, rule of law, and human rights throughout history. The last speaker of the session, İMÜ Faculty of Law Research Assistant Ayşe Nur Yazıcılar, focused on the use of artificial intelligence in constitutional interpretation. Referring to the use of artificial intelligence in the field of law, Yazıcılar stated that the role of this technology in decision-making processes is increasingly growing.

In the following sessions of the symposium, topics titled “Limits of Constitutional Amendment and Judicial Review,” “Fundamental Rights and Individual Application,” and “Constitutional Amendment in Türkiye” were discussed. During the two-day program, issues related to constitutional law were evaluated under different headings from both theoretical and practical perspectives.