Purcell Principle and Constitutional Court's Limits In Reviewing Election Laws
Keywords:
Constitutional Court, Elections, Justice, Legal Certainty, Purcell PrincipleAbstract
The Indonesian legal system has not yet adopted the Purcell Principle, a key doctrine in U.S. election jurisprudence that serves as a judicial restraint, preventing courts from changing election rules during the election period. Its main goal is to avoid confusion and maintain the integrity of the electoral process. Applying this principle is essential to ensure legal certainty, fairness, and stability for election stakeholders, including organizers, candidates, political parties, and voters. In Indonesia, the Constitutional Court holds broad authority to review election laws. Without the Purcell Principle, this power may lead to legal uncertainty and disrupt the electoral process. This study examines the urgency of applying the Purcell Principle within the Constitutional Court's jurisdiction and proposes a conceptual framework for its integration into Indonesia’s legal system. Using a normative legal approach, the research draws on primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials through literature review and qualitative-descriptive analysis. The study concludes that the Purcell Principle is necessary to prevent judicial interference during election stages. The proposed framework includes: (1) limiting the Court's authority to review election laws, except in cases involving voting rights; (2) applying this limitation throughout the entire election process until the official announcement of results; and (3) incorporating the Purcell Principle into relevant laws such as the Election Law, the Judicial Power Law, and the Constitutional Court Law to ensure its legal force.
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