What’s New in Public Law

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—Mikołaj Wolanin, Master’s student, University of Warsaw (Poland)

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In this weekly feature, I-CONnect publishes a curated reading list of developments in public law. “Developments” may include a selection of links to news, high court decisions, new or recent scholarly books and articles, and blog posts from around the public law blogosphere.

To submit relevant developments for our weekly feature on “What’s New in Public Law,” please email iconnecteditors@gmail.com.

Developments in Constitutional Courts

1. Italian federal government lodged an appeal to the constitutional court against the bill passed by Sardinia’s regional council that limits the funding of the green energy projects.
2. The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear the challenge to the 1890’s lifetime voting ban in Mississippi.
3. The Senate of Mexico wants to use a drawing to select judges’ and justices’ candidates for the elections planned for June.
4. What are the conditions on the basis of which a constitutional court may invalidate elections? This question is answered by the Venice Commission in its newest report.
5. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights will hear in February numerous cases concerning the pushbacks and the migrants’ detention.

In the News

1. The majority of Trump’s cabinet members await their Senate confirmation.
2. Impeached president of the South Korea was charged with insurrection.
3. Syria’s new president wants to “form an inclusive transitional government representing diverse communities.”
4. 2025 Polish presidential election’s validity should be assesed by 15 longest serving Supreme Court justices – proposes a bill passed by the first chamber of the parliament.
5. Polish ex-justice minister was forcibly brought by the police to a hearing of the parliamentary investigative committee.

New Scholarship

1. Osella S., A caring academia? Afterword to the Foreword by Gráinne de Búrca, Rosalind Dixon, and Marcela Prieto Rudolphy, “International Journal of Constitutional Law” online first.
2. Albert R., Decolonial Constitutionalism, 25 “Chicago Journal of International Law” 341 (2025).
3. von Bogdandy A., Schmidt-Assmann E. (eds.), Theorising Comparative Public Law. A Reader from Germany, Baden-Baden 2024.
4. Bambrick Ch.R., Constitutionalizing the Private Sphere. A Comparative Inquiry, Cambridge 2025.
5. Stephanopoulos N.O., Aligning Election Law, Oxford 2024.

Calls for Papers and Announcements

1. ICON-S Benelux Chapter welcomes submissions to its second conference planned for May in Brussels. The abstracts should be sent up to February 15^th.
2. ICON-S Central and Eastern Europe Chapter also organises its annual conference and invites scholars at all levels to submit an abstract no later than on February 16^th.
3. The Baxter Family Essay Competition on Federalism 2024-2025 is open to the essays on the theme of the federalism up to February 7^th.
4. ASCL will host its annual comparative law workshop on the beginning of May. One may submit the paper to this workshop no later than on February 5th.
5. The University of Liverpool organises in July the Summer School on the Law of the Council of Europe.

Elsewhere Online

1. Lemmer S.-Ch., Kappé M., Carte Blanche for Judicial Appointments? Standards for Judicial Appointments to the Luxembourg Court, Verfassungsblog.
2. Crippa M., Colorio M., As Rome Mutinies, Justice for Libya Fades, OpinioJuris.
3. Gliszczyńska-Grabias A., “Competitive Victimhood” in Poland, Verfassungsblog.
4. Kleczkowska A., The Russian Disinformation Campaign During the Romanian Presidential Elections: The Perfect Example of a Violation of International Law?, OpinioJuris.
5. Wanyana R., Cognitive Warfare: Does it Constitute Prohibited Force?, Ejil:Talk!