The Constitutional Court of Spain

Abstract

This article provides a brief introduction to the Spanish constitutional jurisdiction. It focuses on the practices and doctrines that make up its performance in its 40 years of operation (1980–2020) and the impact and acceptance of its jurisprudence by legal and political actors. Despite the intrinsic value of these practices and doctrines, what ultimately matters is the ability of the Constitutional Court to steer towards political integration and ground the acceptance of its decisions. The Spanish case may show limitations to the constitutional jurisdiction’s ability to perform, especially when stretched by political actors.