The Constitutional Court Deactivates the «Democratic Surplus-Value» of the Referendum. Reflections from the Last Referendum Round. This study analyses the last rounds of Italian referenda from the perspective of the Constitutional Court’s decisions on their admissibility. It focuses in particular on the limits of the Constitutionally mandated implementation law, on the broad interpretation of international obligations, on issues related to the duty of loyal cooperation, and on the question of popular initiative within the existing law. The essay observes a trend of growing attention to constitutional balancing by the Constitutional Court, and growing overlap between questions of referendum admissibility and constitutional legitimacy. Based on this observation, the essay argues that this last round of referenda illustrates the subordination of Art. 75 Italian Constitution to Art. 70 Italian Constitution, confirmed in constitutional case law, and a departure from decision 16/78 Italian Constitutional Court, confirmed by the Court’s deeper embrace of a theory of values. The effect of this new approach, the essay argues, is that of a slow deactivation of the «democratic surplus-value» of the referendum in the Italian constitutional system.

Francesco Medico (2022). La Corte costituzionale disattiva il plusvalore democratico del referendum. Riflessioni a partire dall'ultima tornata referendaria. QUADERNI COSTITUZIONALI, 3(settembre 2022), 525-551 [10.1439/104897].

La Corte costituzionale disattiva il plusvalore democratico del referendum. Riflessioni a partire dall'ultima tornata referendaria

Francesco Medico
2022

Abstract

The Constitutional Court Deactivates the «Democratic Surplus-Value» of the Referendum. Reflections from the Last Referendum Round. This study analyses the last rounds of Italian referenda from the perspective of the Constitutional Court’s decisions on their admissibility. It focuses in particular on the limits of the Constitutionally mandated implementation law, on the broad interpretation of international obligations, on issues related to the duty of loyal cooperation, and on the question of popular initiative within the existing law. The essay observes a trend of growing attention to constitutional balancing by the Constitutional Court, and growing overlap between questions of referendum admissibility and constitutional legitimacy. Based on this observation, the essay argues that this last round of referenda illustrates the subordination of Art. 75 Italian Constitution to Art. 70 Italian Constitution, confirmed in constitutional case law, and a departure from decision 16/78 Italian Constitutional Court, confirmed by the Court’s deeper embrace of a theory of values. The effect of this new approach, the essay argues, is that of a slow deactivation of the «democratic surplus-value» of the referendum in the Italian constitutional system.
2022
Francesco Medico (2022). La Corte costituzionale disattiva il plusvalore democratico del referendum. Riflessioni a partire dall'ultima tornata referendaria. QUADERNI COSTITUZIONALI, 3(settembre 2022), 525-551 [10.1439/104897].
Francesco Medico
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2022 La Corte costituzionale disattiva il plusvalore democratico del referendum.pdf

accesso riservato

Descrizione: La Corte costituzionale disattiva il plusvalore democratico del referendum. Riflessioni a partire dall'ultima tornata referendaria
Tipo: Versione (PDF) editoriale
Licenza: Licenza per accesso riservato
Dimensione 268.43 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
268.43 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Contatta l'autore

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/894207
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact