Judicial Career Paths’ Separation Strains Constitution – ANM

Rome: A bill to separate the career paths of prosecutors and judges so members of the judiciary can no longer switch between the two roles is unnecessary and damaging, the president of the judiciary’s union National Association of Magistrates (ANM), Giuseppe Santalucia, said on Monday.

According to Ansa News Agency, Santalucia noted that the Constitutional reform bill would put a strain on the Constitution, announcing that ANM will strive to inform the public about its potential impact in the event of a referendum. The ANM had long criticized the Constitutional reform bill, drafted by Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, saying it will weaken the judiciary.

Santalucia stated that the judiciary’s union was not “arrogantly opposed to the reform” but emphasized that a public debate would be “precious for both those backing the reform and those who are against it” so voters would make “as conscious a decision as possible” in the event of a referendum. This was addressed during a congress on the judiciary and information organized by the Journalists’ Guild in Rome.

“We not only believe that a reform of the Constitutions is unnecessary, not necessary at all, but even damaging, putting a strain on the constitutional fabric that has upheld us for all these years, creating an imbalance between the powers of the State,” noted Santalucia.

The Constitutional reform bill also proposes the creation of a high court to discipline members of the judiciary and changes the make-up of the judiciary’s self-governing body, the CSM, overhauling the way CSM justices are elected, using a draw process. Nordio has hailed his reform and dismissed assertions that it was an attempt to increase the government’s power over prosecutors.