Between justice and politics: the role of theSpanish Constitutional Court in the state ofautonomies

Abstract

This study focuses on the role of the Spanish Constitutional Court in the state of autonomies between 1980and 2014. It questions the evolution of the court in twofields. First, it demonstrates that the court profoundlyshaped the contours of the devolution process through a dynamic of‘judicialization’. Second, this researchanalyzes the politicization process of constitutional justice by territorial actors. This dynamic led to the quasi-paralysis of the court from 2008 to 2012 through the ruling of the reform of the Catalan statute. This paperconcludes the court can be best interpreted as a‘trustee’aspiring to remain an independent arbiter within aframework lacking alternative fora for regulating intergovernmental relations