Constitutional Law and Politics Working Group

Constpol (short for the Constitutional Law and Politics Working Group) is a forum for EUI researchers and visiting scholars interested in constitutional law, political and legal theory and intellectual history. The working group convenes a variety of events (book launches, roundtables, pre-read events, films) on a rolling basis throughout the year at Villa Salviati (map of campus). If you would like to present your work at the EUI with Constpol please write to [email protected], after filling this Google Form (Requires Login; or by sending this Word form with attachments).

First year researchers can meet the conveners of Constpol to learn more about our activities during the Working Group Fair that takes place in September every year.

Constpol is grateful for the support of Professors Silvia Suteu and Gráinne de Búrca.

A list of past events organised by Constpol can be found below.

Constpol Events 2024-2025

First Term

• 20.09.2024 — John Morijn (Hertie) on judges in the Polish rule of law crisis
• 30.10.2024 — Sven Siebrecht (Leuphana and Humboldt) on climate litigation, the separation of powers and the politics of rights
• 29.11.2024 — Mounir Zahran (Freie and Humboldt) on how US and German apex courts justify their decisions to disappointed litigants
• 03.12.2024 — Lena Kaiser (Humboldt) on the principle of non-regression in the EU (w/ the EU WG)
• 10.12.2024 — Film Screening of “Democracy Noir” on Orban’s Hungary followed by panel moderated by Silvia Suteu (w/ the Rights WG and EUI Library)

Second Term

• 16.01.2025 — Maria Kotsoni (Princeton) on informal constitutional change. (w/ the EU WG)
• 23.01.2025 — Urška Šadl (EUI and Copenhagen) on good judgment by the ECJ. (w/ the EU WG)
• 28.01.2025 — Or Bassok (Nottingham) on the authority to strike down constitutional amendments and the reappropriations of Kelsen and Schmitt to justify it.
• 07.02.2025 — David Dyzenhaus (Toronto) on legal resourcefulness in very unjust regimes. (w/ the International Law WG)
• 14.02.2025 — Wojciech Zomerski (EUI) on the Polish imaginary of ‘juristic scientism’ and the rule of law crisis.
• 26.02.2025 — Sabrina Ragone (Bologna and EUI) on comparative perspectives on high courts and politics.
• 04.03.2025 — Iris van Domselaar (Amsterdam and EUI) on miscarriages of justice and the ethical role of the profession. (w/ the Legal Theory WG)
• 14.03.2025 — Stefano Osella (Hong Kong) on gender diversity in public law. (w/ the Rights and Queer WG)
• 20.03.2025 — Taís Penteado (Yale) on adjudication that empowers resisting groups.
• 25.03.2025 — Amnon Reichman (Haifa and EUI) on constitutional capture in Israel.

Third Term

• 08.04.2025 — James Wilson (EUI) on the culture of justification as a project of reconciliation in Canadian law.
• 28.04.2025 — Gregory Shaffer (Georgetown) on the transnational challenge of the rule of law. (w/ the International Law WG)
• 08.05.2025 — Amnon Reichman (Haifa and EUI) on a road not (yet) taken by the EU in judicial dialogue. (w/ the EU WG) (Postponed)
• 15.05.2025 — Peter Lindseth (Connecticut) and Paivi Leino-Sandberg (Helsinki) on Next Generation EU. (courtesy of Susi Foderer)
• 22.05.2025 — Mathias Möschel (CEU) on ex-ministers as constitutional judges. (w/ the Legal Theory WG)
• 04.06.2025 — Natasha Wheatley (Princeton) on Central Europe and the transformation of modern sovereignty. (w/ the Intellectual History and Max Weber Programme)
• 05.06.2025 — Natasha Wheatley (Princeton) on thinking historically about law. (w/ the Intellectual History and Max Weber Programme)
• 11.06.2025 — Amrit Singh (Stanford) on the Rule of Law Lab at NYU. (courtesy of Paulina Milewska)