Article 4
Official text
The Constitution provides the norm of regulations. In all cases of incompatibility between the Constitution and the statute or other legal regulations, the constitutional provisions shall apply.
It is the duty of citizens and of aliens in Colombia to obey the Constitution and the laws, and to respect and obey the authorities.
Legal commentary
Interpretation
This article establishes constitutional supremacy, similar to the US Supremacy Clause (Art. VI). The phrase 'norm of norms' (norma de normas) enables both diffuse judicial review (exception of unconstitutionality) and concentrated review by the Constitutional Court. Unlike the US system of purely diffuse review, Colombia follows the European model of a specialized constitutional court, influenced by the Austrian (Kelsen) model.
Consulted sources
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