The Italian Constitutional Court and the Pandemic. A National and Comparative Perspective

Never before have the world’s democracies simultaneously experienced such a major contraction of civil liberties as during the “new” coronavirus pandemic, producing massive debates about the role of government power during times of crisis. This essay focuses on the response provided by constitutional courts to face the emergency. The attitude of the Italian court can be effectively summarized by the following key words: continuity, loyal cooperation, autonomy, step-by-step approach, working methods. From a comparative perspective, the reaction of many other national and supranational courts was not so different and inspired by the same criteria.