Al-Syakhsiyyah : Journal of Law and Family Studies
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026)

Judicial Ethics, Legal Reasoning, and the Validity of Court Decisions: The Paradox of Constitutional Adjudication in Indonesia

Umarwan Sutopo (Universitas Islam Negeri Kiai Ageng Muhammad Besari Ponorogo)
Endrik Safudin (Universitas Islam Negeri Kiai Ageng Muhammad Besari Ponorogo)
Kholili Badriza (Melbourne University)



Article Info

Publish Date
18 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the correlation between ethical and non-ethical rulings in the Indonesian judicial system, particularly in light of Constitutional Court Decision No. 90/PUU-XXI/2023, which was upheld despite the judge’s ethical violations, as determined by the Constitutional Court’s Honorary Council. The research focuses on the inconsistency between legal norms and judicial practice regarding the implications of ethical violations for the validity of rulings. This study employs a doctrinal legal method with a jurisprudential, conceptual, and critical-analytical approach to legislation, court rulings, and the construction of legal and moral reasoning in judicial practice. Data were analyzed qualitatively through a normative interpretation of the relationship between ethical norms and the legal legitimacy of rulings. The results indicate that the relationship between ethical and non-ethical rulings is paradoxical: normatively, they are integrated, yet in judicial practice, they are treated as separate, meaning that ethical violations do not automatically invalidate legal rulings. This study confirms that ethical and non-ethical rulings rest on different bases of reasoning; thus, they do not directly validate one another, yet they still influence each other within the framework of legal legitimacy, certainty, and justice.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

syakhsiyyah

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

Jurnal Al Syakhsiyyah (Journal Of Law and Family Studies) diterbitkan oleh Program Studi Hukum Keluarga Islam Fakultas Syariah IAIN Ponorogo 2 kali dalam setahun. Jurnal ini dimaksudkan sebagai wadah pemikiran yang terbuka bagi semua kalangan. Artikel yang diterbitkan dalam jurnal ini berupa ...