Overview
- The VI World Conference of Constitutional Justice concluded in Madrid with more than 300 jurists endorsing conclusions that commit courts to safeguarding the dignity and rights of those yet to come.
- King Felipe VI closed the meeting by calling constitutional justice the last bulwark defending the rule of law and by urging fidelity to democratic values in a turbulent world.
- Spain’s Constitutional Court president, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, labeled judicial independence a moral imperative and said the court must stand firm in the face of criticism once decisions are issued.
- Participants flagged concrete pressures on courts, including interference in appointments, delays in executing rulings, budgetary or procedural constraints, and campaigns that erode public trust.
- The conclusions emphasize climate and heritage protection and the governance of digital technologies and AI, with Inmaculada Montalbán warning that disinformation weakens confidence and that AI cannot replace judicial reasoning.