Rome – Among the judges of the Consulta there are not only “gentlemen”: for almost thirty years it has been made up of men and women. That's why the face of the documents in the rulings of the Constitutional Court changes with a modification of important symbolic value.
The wording in the heading of the Constitutional Court's sentences has changed: in the expression “composed of gentlemen”, used to announce the composition of the Constitutional Court, the term “gentlemen” has been eliminated. Therefore, only the expression “composed by“, followed by the names of the president and the other judges.
The change – made for a correct presentation, even formally, of the gender composition of the Court – took place a few days ago, following the unanimous decision of the college presided over by Augusto Barbera. Until last month the sentences still had the old wording inside them, then the choice made in the council chamber session of 21 December last. And already the following day the first new version of the sentences appeared: 223 filed on 22 December 2023. Another consequence of this change will also be the indication of the term 'rapporteur' in the sentences, which will be replaced by 'rapporteur', in case it is a woman.
The Council has always been sensitive to the issue of gender equality. Since the time of the historic ruling, in 1962, with which the Court opened access to the judiciary and other public jobs to women. One of the most recent is the 2022 ruling, which concerns the decision on the double surname. Among the current fourteen judges of the Consulta there are currently three women: Emanuela Navarretta, Maria Rosaria San Giorgio and Antonella Sciarrone Alibrandi.
She was the first to be part of it Fernanda Contri, in 1996. In general, out of the 121 judges of the Court throughout history, there have been eight women: six appointed by the President of the Republic (Confri, Saulle, Cartabia, De Pretis, Navarretta and Sciarrone Alibrandi), one elected by Parliament in joint session (Sciarra ) and one elected by the Court of Cassation (San Giorgio). The first to hold the office of president, from 2019 to 2020, was Marta Cartabia, followed in 2022 by Silvana Sciarra (in office until 2023): the latter was instead the first woman elected by Parliament as a judge at the Court Italian Constitution in 2014. While awaiting the election in Parliament of the fifteenth judge to complete the Court, certainly it cannot be ruled out that a woman could be the most votedincreasing the female component which continues to be in a clear minority within the Council.
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