The jurist Giovanni Pitruzzella will be the rapporteur The Italian Constitutional Court is judging the validity of the so-called Tajani Decree, which modified the rules for the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent. The public hearing is... scheduled for March 11, 2026.
Pitruzzella was appointed to the Constitutional Court in November 2023 by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. His nomination was due to the presidential quota.Electoral appointments are one of the three ways to access the court, alongside appointments by Parliament and the senior judiciary. Traditionally, the names chosen by the head of state are seen as having a more technical or institutional profile.
Born in Palermo in 1959, Pitruzzella graduated in Law from the University of Palermo in 1982. Since then, he has built a solid career in the areas of Constitutional Law and Public Law. He has taught at the universities of Cagliari, Palermo, and LUISS in Rome, and has published several books in these fields.
In addition to his academic career, he has accumulated experience in public service. He was legal counsel to the Italian government and president of the Commission for the Application of the Special Statute of Sicily. Between 2011 and 2018, he chaired the Italian Competition and Market Authority.
In the European context, since 2018 he has served as Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, a position to which he was reappointed in 2023. On November 14, 2023, he was sworn in as a judge of the Italian Constitutional Court.
As rapporteur for the case questioning the constitutionality of the Tajani Decree, Pitruzzella will have the task of drafting the opinion that will be debated in the public session. The law, in effect since March 28, 2025, altered the criteria for the recognition of Italian citizenship iure sanguinis. The change generated widespread opposition from experts and diaspora organizations.
The case was referred to the Court by the Turin Court, following a complaint filed by a group of descendants of Italians from Venezuela. The hearing will be held on March 11. and should be completed by April 2026.
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