The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice

The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice is a document, published in 1972, which formally defines the administrative procedures to be followed by the Universal House of Justice, the institution which serves as the infallible head of the Administrative Order of the Bahá’í Faith.

History[edit]

The Constitution was drafted shortly after the Universal House of Justice was established in 1963.^[1] In 1964 the Universal House of Justice announced one of the goals of the Nine Year Plan to be pursued at the World Centre was the formulation of its Constitution.^[2]

In 1967 the Universal House of Justice announced that significant progress had been made in the formulation of the Constitution,^[3] and it was completed and signed by the members in 1972.^[4] The House of Justice announced its publication in the 1973 Ridvan message and noted that Shoghi Effendi had described the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice as the Most Great Law of Bahá’u’lláh.^[5]

Structure[edit]

The Constitution consists of a Declaration of Trust and by-laws which define the responsibilities and procedures of the Universal House of Justice.

Some of the By-laws relate to the Universal House of Justice's relationship with the community defining its relationship with individual members of the Bahá’í community, Local Spiritual Assemblies, and National Spiritual Assemblies. It also defines the basic procedures for how Bahá’í elections are to be carried out including the election of the Universal House of Justice itself.

The by-laws cover the internal functioning of the Universal House of Justice noting that the Universal House of Justice had the right to expel a member of the body, defining how its meetings and handling of different business types were to be held, how its records were to be kept, and what its signature would consist of.

In regards to the elected institutions of the Faith the by-laws grant the Universal House of Justice the right to review the decision of any National or Local Assembly and grants individual Bahá’ís the right to appeal a Local Assembly decision with their National Assembly and a National Assembly decision with the Universal House of Justice itself. In regards to the appointed institutions of the Faith the by-laws outline the basic functioning of the Continental Boards of Counselors and Auxiliary Boards for Protection and Propagation of the Faith.

The final by-law grants the Universal House of Justice the right to amend its Constitution if the full membership is present.

External Links[edit]

The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice at the official Bahá’í Reference Library

References[edit]

[1] ttps://www.bahai.org/documents/the-universal-house-of-justice/constitution-universal-house-justice

[2] ttps://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/19640421_001/1#090465770

[3] ttps://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/19670421_001/1#457500389

[4] ttps://www.bahai.org/documents/the-universal-house-of-justice/constitution-universal-house-justice

[5] ttps://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/19730421_001/1#681518582

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