DON’T WASTE YOUR VOTE (AGAIN!). THE ITALIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT’S DECISION ON ELECTION LAWS: AN EPISODE OF STRICT COMPARATIVE SCRUTINY

With a single judgment (sent. 1/2014), the Italian Constitutional Court has almost revolutionized Parliamentary election law, the national political landscape, the types of controversies with which it deals, and the means through which it reviews domestic legislation. In order to do so, the Court drew from globalized concepts and levels of scrutiny such as the so-called “proportionality test,” making explicit references to foreign decisions, while downplaying the Constitutional Framers’ intention. Although this decision has brought Italy closer in line with the trends that characterize contemporary global constitutionalism, its concrete effects on Italian law and the political system are not so promising or clear. This paper investigates the explicit and implicit sources of inspiration for the decision, its hidden implications, and it resonates with globalized trends in constitutional law

Il contributo della Corte costituzionale alla qualit\ue0 della normazione

1. Premessa e metodo della ricerca. \u2013 2. La qualit\ue0 della legislazione e il processo costituzionale. \u2013 3. I modelli argomentativi utilizzati dalla Corte. \u2013 4. Il paradigma della \uabchiarezza normativa\ubb. \u2013 4.1. La giurisprudenza degli anni \u201980-\u201990. \u2013 4.2. La giurisprudenza degli ultimi dieci anni. \u2013 5. Il richiamo alle tecniche legislative. \u2013 5.1. Richiamo condizionante. \u2013 a) Il difetto di coordinamento. \u2013 b) Le sentenze sul rapporto Stato-regioni. \u2013 c) Il richiamo alla tecnica legislativa e i poteri interpretativi dei giudici. \u2013 d) Forme di condizionamento pi\uf9 forti. \u2013 5.2. Richiamo non condizionante. \u2013 6. Brevi considerazioni conclusive sull\u2019indagine svolta

Il diritto all\u2019assistenza linguistica nel processo penale: profili di diritto costituzionale europeo

This article emphasizes that the protection of the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings represents a big achievement for the guarantee of the constitutional due process of law in Italy. It is argued that the right to an interpreter constitutes a good standpoint to see the evolution of the rights of suspected or accused persons in criminal proceedings. After a brief introduction on the relevance of the use language in the Italian le- gal system the article analyses the actions undertaken by the Italian Parliament in implementing the EU Roadmap for strengthening procedural rights of suspected or accused persons in criminal proceedings. The first result of this gradual action is Directive 2010/64/EU on the right to interpretation and translation. The Directive con- firms the determination of the EU to follow a very prudent approach on the issues concerning procedural rights, characterized by a cautious gradualness and a strong link with the ECHR. However, the introduction of harmonization in this field is surely a strengthening of the basic rights protected by the Court of Strasbourg. The article, then, discusses the implementation of the Directive 2010/64/EU in Italy with the legislative decree n. 32 of 2014, which modifies a few articles of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure. Finally, the article deals with the problems concerning real efficacy of these initiatives and their adequacy to respond to the need of guarantees in criminal proceedings, especially in the preliminary inquiry stage

Le relazioni come fattore costitutivo dei diritti sociali

L'articolo propone un nuovo paradigma per spiegare l'esistenza e la sostenibilit\ue0 dei diritti sociali

La disciplina dell\u2019organizzazione del governo italiano nelle ultime tre legislature

1. Introduzione; 2. Il ritardo nell\u2019attuazione dell\u2019art. 95, comma 3; 3. L\u2019uso degli atti aventi forza di legge per definire la struttura dei governi; 4. Le modifiche alla disciplina dell\u2019organizzazione realizzate durante la XIV legislatura; 5. Le modifiche alla organizzazione del governo realizzata durante la XV legislatura; 6. Le modifiche alla organizzazione del governo realizzate durante la XVI legislatura; 7. Quali conseguenze hanno prodotto le continue modifiche alla organizzazione del governo?; 8. Un problema pi\uf9 profondo alla radice delle continue riforme; 9. Conclusioni

Il primo scoglio del diritto di iniziativa dei cittadini europei

In the next few months the General Court of the European Union will rule on the issue of the admissibility of an European Citizens\u2019 Initiative (hereinafter ECI) rejected on 6th September 2012 by the European Commission. This judgment is expected as one of the first assessment of the brand new instrument for participatory democracy introduced in the Lisbon Treaty (Ar-ticle 11 of TUE). ECI is designed to allow the citizens to take an active role within the law-making process of the EU. One million citizens who fulfil a petition to call on the Commission have the right to propose a legal act on a specific issue. This innovation represents an un-precedented means of transnational democracy insofar it establishes the conditions for in-creased public engagement within the EU. The ECI is viewed as significant institutional re-sponse to the EU\u2019s perceived democratic deficit. In light of these circumstances, this article investigates the problems related to the power of the European Commission to refuse an initiative. It considers first the origins of the ECI, the main elements of the new mechanism and its legal background. It then describes the power of the Commission to refuse an initiative and the first case before the General Court. Finally the article analyses the main problems that are emerging in this first phase of implementation of the ECI

Don\u2019t Waste Your Vote (Again!). The Italian Constitutional Court\u2019s Decision on Election Laws: An Episode of Strict Comparative Scrutiny

With a single judgment (sent. 1/2014), the Italian Constitutional Court has almost revolutionized Parliamentary election law, the national political landscape, the types of controversies with which it deals, and the means through which it reviews domestic legislation. In order to do so, the Court drew from globalized concepts and levels of scrutiny such as the so-called \u201cproportionality test,\u201d making explicit references to foreign decisions, while downplaying the Constitutional Framers\u2019 intention. Although this decision has brought Italy closer in line with the trends that characterize contemporary global constitutionalism, its concrete effects on Italian law and the political system are not so promising or clear. This paper investigates the explicit and implicit sources of inspiration for the decision, its hidden implications, and it resonates with globalized trends in constitutional law

Judicial Review, Election Law, and Proportionality

The Notre Dame Journal of International and Comparative Law, Volume VI, Issue I (2016)