Constitutional Court of Spain
The Constitutional Court is the supreme interpreter of the Spanish Constitution, with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes made by any public body, central, regional, or local in Spain. It is defined in Part IX of the Constitution of Spain, and further governed by Organic Laws 2/1979, 8/1984, 4/1985, 6/1988, 7/1999 and 1/2000. The court is the "supreme interpreter" of the Constitution, but since the court is not a part of the Spanish Judiciary, the Supreme Court is the highest court for all judicial matters.
Some of the key events about Constitutional Court of Spain
- 1980Established as Spain's highest constitutional authority to interpret the Constitution
- 1981Ruled on the constitutionality of the law regulating the autonomy process
- 1981Ruled against legalizing divorce, delaying its introduction in Spain
- 1983Declared unconstitutional parts of a law on abortion, leading to its reform
- 1985Upheld restrictions on abortion rights, limiting access for many women
- 1986Upheld the constitutionality of Spain's membership in the European Economic Community
- 1991Ruled in favor of extending social security benefits to unmarried couples
- 1994Declared the unconstitutionality of certain aspects of the 1988 General Telecommunications Law
- 1994Declared unconstitutional parts of a law aimed at protecting the Basque language
- 2005Upheld the constitutionality of same-sex marriage in Spain
- 2005Struck down key provisions of Catalonia's autonomy statute
- 2010Issued a landmark ruling on the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia
- 2010Ruled against expanded autonomy for Catalonia, fueling separatist sentiment
- 2014Blocked Catalonia's non-binding independence referendum
- 2015Suspended the Catalan parliament's independence declaration, upholding national unity
- 2015Suspended Catalonia's declaration of sovereignty
- 2017Declared Catalonia's independence referendum unconstitutional
- 2019Ruled that the exhumation of Francisco Franco's remains was constitutional
- 2019Upheld lengthy prison sentences for Catalan independence leaders
- 2021Ruled that Spain's first COVID-19 lockdown was unconstitutional
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