This is a compulsory subject in the second term of the first year of the degree. It is a continuation of Constitutional Law I and an antecedent of Constitutional Law III (second year).

It consists of two well-differentiated parts: the organic part and the second part, which deals with the scheme of sources of law. With regard to the first part, the following subjects are analysed in succession: the Head of State, the Cortes Generales, the Government, the ordinary judicial branch and the Constitutional Court. The State of Autonomies is not dealt with, as this is the content of an optional 4th year subject, also taught by the Department. The second part, sources of law, deals with external sources (European Union Law and international Treaties) and their respective mechanisms of challenge and internal sources (Constitution, rules with the status of law and with the status of regulations), also with their respective means of challenge.

Specific competences of Constitutional Law II:

- 1. Collect, outline and memorise information relating to the organisation of the constitutional state and the sources of law, all from a legal point of view based on the constitutional and European framework.

- 2. Analyse constitutional jurisprudence in order to extract its doctrine and be able to apply it to future cases.

- 3. Assimilate how to carry out the appeals that can be brought before the Constitutional Court.

- 4. Access, handle and manage electronic databases of legal data.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW II PROGRAMME



CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES



Lesson 1.- The Constitutional Court (I): control of constitutionality, Constitutional Court pronouncements.



Lesson 2.- The Constitutional Court (II): constitutional review of legislation, constitutional challenges, constitutional questions, preventive review of international Treaties, complaints for violation of fundamental rights.



Lesson 3.- The Constitutional Court (III): conflicts of competence (positives and negatives), conflicts between bodies, local conflicts.



Lesson 4. The Crown: the legitimacy of the Monarchy, the King’s symbolic function, the King’s authority to sanction the Laws, the King’s political neutrality and immunity, regency, guardianship, marriage and succession.



Lesson 5. The Cortes Generales (I): Bicameral legislative power, composition and election, autonomy of the Cortes.



Lesson 6.- The Cortes Generales (II): organisation, parliamentary groups, functioning, individual status of Members of Parliament.



Lesson 7. The Cortes Generales (III): legislative, financial, political direction and control functions.



Lesson 8. The Government (I): executive power and Government, composition and status of members, appointment and dismissal of the President.



Lesson 9. The Government (II): the pre-eminence of the President, appointment and dismissal of the other members of the Government, functions.



Lesson 10. The form of government: relations between the Government and the Cortes Generales: rationalised parliamentary form of government, the question of confidence, motion of censure, controlling of government, dissolution of the Cortes.



Lesson 11. The Judiciary: constitutional configuration of the Judiciary, Spanish judicial organisation, the General Council of the Judiciary.



THE SOURCES OF LAW



Lesson 12.- Sources of Law: current sources of Law; validity, efficacy and validity of rules; criteria of relationship between sources (principle of hierarchy, principle of competence); Spanish system of sources of Law.



Lesson 13.- The Constitution in the democratic State: concept and structure, the Constitution as a legal norm in North American constitutionalism, the Constitution in European constitutionalism, constituent power and forms of drafting Constitutions.



Lesson 14.- The 1978 Constitution as a legal norm (I): concept of the Constitution in Spanish constitutional history, the constituent process of 1977-1978, general characteristics and the content of the Constitution.



Lesson 15.- The Constitution of 1978 as a legal norm (II): the Constitution of 1978 as a supreme legal norm, types of constitutional rules, block of constitutionality.



Lesson 16. Constitutional amendments and suspension of the Constitution: types of amendments, the problems with procedural dualism, limits to constitutional amendments, suspension of the Constitution (states of emergency-alarm, exception and siege).



Lesson 17. The sources of supra-legal law: European Union law, constitutional and ordinary jurisprudence, international treaties.



Lesson 18. The sources of parliamentary law with the status of law: ordinary law, organic law, autonomies sources, parliamentary by-laws or standing orders.



Lesson 19.- Sources of governmental law: Decree Law, Legislative Decree, Decrees declaring states of emergency, governmental regulations.



Lectures with the support and help of multimedia aids in the classroom.



Practical classroom classes:

These will be practical cases, which students will have to solve using a model of a constitutional challenge. The classes will try to promote the understanding of a practical case and the assessment of the learning of the theoretical part of the subject for its practical application, with critical analysis of the constitutional jurisprudence. The ability to present and synthesise will be valued, with demonstration of the assimilation of theoretical and practical knowledge.

The teaching methodology combines lectures with the involvement of students as actors in their own teaching-learning process. The teacher, always taking into account the specific group, will use the techniques he/she considers appropriate to achieve the learning results. This may involve different methodologies according to the needs of the specific group.

• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 80
  • Oral defense (%): 5
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 5
  • Individual works (%): 5
  • Exhibition of works, readings ... (%): 5

Passing the subject will involve a written demonstration of the contents of the syllabus, unless the student chooses the oral option, in an argued, coherent manner and with the appropriate legal vocabulary, either in a single final exam or through continuous assessments.



With regard to the waiver, this will be in accordance with the assessment regulations at any given time.

Final exam in accordance with the regulations.

When any of the aforementioned tools is not used, its percentage in the grade will increase that of the written test to be developed.

Basic bibliography

Spanish Constitution, available at: https://www.congreso.es/constitucion/ficheros/c78/cons_ingl.pdf



Organic Law 2/1979 on the Constitutional Court, of 3 October 1979, available at: https://www.tribunalconstitucional.es/es/tribunal/normativa/Normativa/LOTC-en.pdf



*The teacher will provide students with materials in English.

In-depth bibliography

Democratizing constitutional law : perspectives on legal theory and the legitimacy of constitutionalism, Springer, 2016.
An unamendable constitution? : unamendability in constitutional democracies, Springer, 2018..
National Constitutions in European and Global Governance : Democracy, Rights, the Rule of Law -- National Reports. The Hague, 2019.
Liberalism and American constitutional law. Cambridge:Harvard University Press, 1985.
Global perspectives on constitutional law. Oxford University, 2009.
The ways of federalism in Western countries and the horizon of territorial autonomy in Spain. Volume I and II, Springer, 2013.
Claims for secession and federalism : A comparative study with a special focus on Spain. Springer, 2019

Journals

International Journal of Constitutional Law: https://academic.oup.com/icon/issue
Revista española de derecho constitucional: http://www.cepc.gob.es/publicaciones/revistas/revistaselectronicas?IDR=6
Revista de Estudios Políticos: http://www.cepc.gob.es/publicaciones/revistas/revistaselectronicas?IDR=3
Revista de Derecho Político: http://revistas.uned.es/index.php/derechopolitico
Teoría y Realidad Constitucional: http://revistas.uned.es/index.php/TRC
Cuadernos Constitucionales: https://ojs.uv.es/index.php/cuadernosconstitucionales/index

Web addresses

Base de datos de legislación del BOE: http://www.boe.es/legislacion/legislacion_ava.php
Base de datos de legislación de Noticias jurídicas: http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/
Jurisprudencia constitucional:http://hj.tribunalconstitucional.es
Base de datos de legislación y jurisprudencia de La Ley digital (desde la red UPV-EHU: http://www.laleydigital.es/
Base de datos de jurisprudencia del CGPJ:http://www.poderjudicial.es/search/indexAN.jsp
Boletín Oficial del País Vasco: http://www.lehendakaritza.ejgv.euskadi.net/r48-bopv2/es/bopv2/datos/Ultimo.shtml
Textos constitucionales de todos los Estados del mundo: http://www.justiniano.com/constituciones/constituciones_del_mundo.htm
Derecho comunitario: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/es/index.htm
Tribunal de Justicia de las Comunidad Europea: http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/j_6/
Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos: http://www.echr.coe.int/
Congreso de los Diputados: http://www.congreso.es/
Senado: http://www.senado.es
Parlamento vasco: http://www.parlamentovasco.euskolegebiltzarra.org/es