Constitutional Court of Spain

The Constitutional Court is the supreme interpreter of the Spanish Constitution, with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes made by any public body, central, regional, or local in Spain. It is defined in Part IX of the Constitution of Spain, and further governed by Organic Laws 2/1979, 8/1984, 4/1985, 6/1988, 7/1999 and 1/2000. The court is the "supreme interpreter" of the Constitution, but since the court is not a part of the Spanish Judiciary, the Supreme Court is the highest court for all judicial matters.

Some of the key events about Constitutional Court of Spain

1980
Established as Spain's highest constitutional authority to interpret the Constitution
1981
Ruled on the constitutionality of the law regulating the autonomy process
1981
Ruled against legalizing divorce, delaying its introduction in Spain
1983
Declared unconstitutional parts of a law on abortion, leading to its reform
1985
Upheld restrictions on abortion rights, limiting access for many women
1986
Upheld the constitutionality of Spain's membership in the European Economic Community
1991
Ruled in favor of extending social security benefits to unmarried couples
1994
Declared the unconstitutionality of certain aspects of the 1988 General Telecommunications Law
1994
Declared unconstitutional parts of a law aimed at protecting the Basque language
2005
Upheld the constitutionality of same-sex marriage in Spain
2005
Struck down key provisions of Catalonia's autonomy statute
2010
Issued a landmark ruling on the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia
2010
Ruled against expanded autonomy for Catalonia, fueling separatist sentiment
2014
Blocked Catalonia's non-binding independence referendum
2015
Suspended the Catalan parliament's independence declaration, upholding national unity
2015
Suspended Catalonia's declaration of sovereignty
2017
Declared Catalonia's independence referendum unconstitutional
2019
Ruled that the exhumation of Francisco Franco's remains was constitutional
2019
Upheld lengthy prison sentences for Catalan independence leaders
2021
Ruled that Spain's first COVID-19 lockdown was unconstitutional

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