Lecture 22 Flashcards

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1
Q

The Judiciary: the Division of the Members

A
  • Judges: authority that adjudicates the case
    (identification, interpretation, application of the law in order to produce a legally binding decision).
    Neutral and above the parties of the legal dispute
  • Public prosecutors: authority that is a party in the
    legal dispute (non-neutral), defends the public
    interest, especially in criminal trials (non-biased)
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2
Q

The Judiciary: General Rule of Judgement

A
  • General rule: three instances of judgment in the
    Italian legal system (the Constitution only requires
    two art. 111 Cost.)
  • First instance judge: adjudicates the merits of the dispute
  • Second instance judge: reviews the adjudication of the first instance judge (full or partial review)
  • Third (last) instance judge: reviews the legality (not the merits) of the previous decisions (whether the first and second instance judges correctly identified, interpreted and applied the law to the case at hand)
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3
Q

The Judiciary: Ordinary Jurisdiction– Civil Justice

A
  • Tribunal
  • Court of Appeal
  • Court of Cassation
    or
  • Giudice di Pace (Honorary Judge)
  • Tribunal
  • Court of Cassation
  • Ordinary civil jurisdiction adjudicates disputes
    between private individuals, or between private
    individuals and the PA when the PA acts as a private individual (no authoritative power)
  • Functioning
    1. A party (actor) summons the other (defendant) before the judge, advancing a claim (e.g.: damages; enforcement of a contract; divorce; alimony; etc.)
    2. The neutral judge adjudicates the case with a legally binding decision that sustains or rejects the actor’s claim
    3. Advice of the public prosecutor (in exceptional cases)
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4
Q

The Judiciary: Ordinary Justice– Criminal Justice

A
  • Tribunal / Assize Court
  • Court of Appeal / Assize Court of Appeal
  • Court of Cassation
    or
  • Giudice di Pace (Honorary Judge)
  • Tribunal
  • Court of Cassation
    Preliminary investigations: GIP / GUP
  • Ordinary criminal jurisdiction adjudicates disputes
    where private individuals are accused of having
    committed a crime (criminal offence or other
    violation of criminal law)
  • Functioning
    1. Preliminary investigations: the public prosecutor
    investigates an individual who might have committed a crime
    2. The individual (defendant) is accused of having
    committed a crime by the public prosecutor
    3. The neutral judge adjudicates the case with a legally binding decision that acquits or convicts the defendant
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5
Q

The Judiciary: Public Prosecutor

A
  • Shares the same institutional position of the judges
  • Is separated from the Executive Power
  • Has the duty to initiate criminal proceedings
  • The role in the constitutional system is more
    complex than that of “pure” public accuser: the
    public prosecutor must collect/present also
    evidences in favor of the defendant (non-biased role)
  • Public Prosecutor Office at the Tribunal
    1. Chief Prosecutor
    2. Adjunct Prosecutor
    3. Substitute Prosecutor
  • Public Prosecutor Office at the Court of Appeals
    1. General Prosecutor
    2. Substitute General Prosecutor
  • General Public Prosecutor Office at the Supreme
    Court of Cassation
    1. General Prosecutor
    2. Substitute Prosecutors
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6
Q

The Judiciary: Ordinary Jurisdiction

A
  • It is not possible to create “special jurisdictions” or “special judges” (ad hoc judges) – 102 Cost.
    1. Equality before the law
    2. Right to the “natural judge”
  • It is possible to create “specialized sections” of
    ordinary judges (e.g.: labour; minors; family; etc.)
  • The only special jurisdictions allowed are those
    expressly envisioned by the Constitution (103 Cost.)
    1. Administrative
    2. Accounts
    3. Military
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7
Q

The Judiciary: Special Jurisdiction– Administrative Justice

A
  • Regional Administrative Tribunal (“Tribunale
    Amministrativo Regionale” - TAR): at least one for
    each Region
  • Council of State: Full review of the first instance
    decision
  • Court of Cassation: only for conflicts of jurisdiction (special vs. ordinary)
  • “High Court” (Sicily): replaces the Council of State
    for appeals against the decisions of Sicilian TARs
  • Special administrative jurisdiction adjudicates
    disputes between private individuals and the PA
    (protection of the individual against illegal/invalid
    administrative acts/measures)
  • Functioning
    1. The individual challenges an administrative act (authoritative power of the PA), on the basis of a pretensive/oppositive legitimate interest
    2. The neutral judge adjudicates the case with a legally binding decision
    3. General rule: the administrative judge can only annul the illegal act and order the PA to re-run the administrative procedure (the judge cannot replace the PA)
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8
Q

The Judiciary: Special Jurisdiction– Accounts Justice

A
  • Regional Sections of the Court of Accounts
  • Central Sections of the Court of Accounts
  • Court of Cassation: only for conflicts of jurisdiction
  • Adjudicates cases regarding the way in which “public money” is spent (e.g.: damages caused by civil servants due to misuse of the PA’s budget; pensions granted by the State; etc.)
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9
Q

The Judiciary: Special Jurisdiction– Military Justice

A
  • Military Tribunals
  • Military Court of Appeals
  • Court of Cassation
  • Adjudicates cases regarding members of the military in times of war
  • Adjudicates cases regarding members of the military accused of a “military offence/crime” in times of peace
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10
Q

The Judiciary: Constitutional Principles of the “fair trial”

A
  • Neutral and impartial judge
  • Possibility to intervene for everyone having an
    interest in the outcome
  • Possibility for the parties to participate in the
    formation of the judge’s decision
  • Equality of the parties involved
  • Reasonable time-frame for the final adjudication (if not, compensation/reparation)
  • Mandatory motivation of all judicial decisions
  • Allows the parties to know and verify the legal
    reasoning of the judge and the underlying legal and factual reasons (and, possibly, to challenge/appeal
    the decision)
  • Allows for a “general” control by the public opinion (the decisions are taken “in the name of the Italian people”)
  • Mandatory technical representation (“difesa
    tecnica”): the parties cannot “defend/represent
    themselves”
  • Right to representation at the expenses of the
    State (“gratuito patrocinio”): if a party cannot
    afford technical representation
  • Representation at the expenses of the State ≠
    “difesa d’ufficio” (court-appointed attorney)
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11
Q

The Judiciary: Constitutional Principles of the “fair trial”– Criminal Justice

A
  • Defendant must be informed of the reasons and
    nature of the charges (with the aid of an interpreter, if needed)
  • Time to prepare the defensive strategy
  • Access to the necessary information (discovery)
  • Equality between the defendant and the public
    prosecutor: as a general rule, evidence is acquired
    (formed) in the trial
  • Criminal law cannot have retroactive effects (article 25 Cost.)
    1. Exception: retroactivity of the “lex mitior”
    2. Exception: decisions of the Constitutional Court that annul the source of the law that founded the conviction
  • A defendant should be regarded as “not guilty” until the final decision (27 Cost.)
  • Criminal responsibility is personal (27 Cost.)
  • Prohibition of the death penalty (27 Cost.)
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