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170, 172 or 191 of the
Constitution, that tribunal must address a preliminary question to the Constitutional Court as the Court has the exclusive competence of interpreting the Constitution and the competence dividing rules. When the Court finds a breach of these articles, it will pronounce its decision
875:
Currently six of the twelve judges are female. According to a change in 2014 to article 12 of the special law, the membership of the court needs to contain a measure of gender equality: at least a third of its membership needs to be of the opposite sex. Until that number is reached, new appointments
1325:
The appeal must include the subject of the appeal and must be motivated. The party submitting the appeal can also request that the law, decree or ordinance in question be suspended pending a final ruling by the Court. A law, decree or ordinance can be suspended only when the application of the law,
1317:
and at least two judges with a legal background. Cases can also be heard by the whole Court if either
President so decides or if at least two judges of the ordinary panel of seven judges so requests. If cases are heard by the whole Court, the Court cannot rule unless at least 10 judges and an equal
841:
The second modus operandi of the court are the preliminary issues. If a question comes up in a particular tribunal about the correspondence of laws, decrees and ordinances with the rules laying down the division of powers between the State, the communities and the regions or with
Articles 8 to 32,
871:
by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present. Each linguistic group is composed of three judges with a legal background and three judges who have had at least five years experience as members of parliament. Candidates must be at least forty years of age. The judges may hold office
833:
The court has two modi operandi. Each stakeholder can within 6 months of publication of a law, decree or ordinance go to the Court in order to have the law, decree or ordinance annulled because of a breach of the aforementioned
Articles of the Belgian Constitution or because of a breach of the
1013:
Moerman, J. (b. 1958) is a former member of parliament, federal minister of
Economy, Energy, Foreign Trade and Scientific Research (2003-2004), and viceminister-president of the Flemish government and Flemish minister of Economy, Scientific Research, Innovation, and Foreign Trade
1308:
and the
Community and Regional Parliaments, at the request of two thirds of its members, and by any person who can demonstrate an interest in the cancellation. In other words, the law, decree or ordinance must be harmful to the party submitting the appeal.
1312:
Cases before the
Constitutional Court are normally heard by a panel consisting of seven judges that decides by majority. The panel always comprises both Presidents, at least three judges from each linguistic group, at least two former members of the
846:, meaning the ruling has effect only between the parties of the specific case. Such a judgement, however, has great moral value and will force the parliament which made the targeted law, decree or ordinance in question to amend it.
799:. The original name that had been given to the Court already says a lot about its mission, which is to supervise the observance of the constitutional division of powers between the federal state, the communities and the regions.
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The Court is composed of 12 judges (2 linguistic groups of which 6 Dutch and 6 French speakers, one of them must have an adequate knowledge of German) appointed for their lifetime by the King (in practice, the
263:
826:
of 2003, this competence was expanded to the
Section II (Articles 8 to 32), and the Articles 170, 172 and 191 of the Belgian Constitution. The Court is therefore developing into a
822:
such as the principles of equality, non-discrimination and the rights and liberties in respect of education (the
Articles 10, 11 and 24 of the Belgian constitution). With a
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division of powers between the federal state, the communities and the regions. When the Court decides to annul a law, decree or ordinance it counts
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806:
on 1 October 1984. On 5 April 1985 it delivered its first judgment. In May 2007, upon a change of the
Belgian Constitution, the court was renamed
876:
are legally obliged to be of the underrepresented sex. However, this obligation has not been respected when Michel Pâques was appointed in 2018.
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number of Dutch- and French-speaking judges are present. In this case, if the votes are equally divided, the President of the Court has a
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decree or ordinance in question could incur serious, and difficult to repair, harm to the party submitting the appeal.
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Kherbache (b. 1972) is a former member of the Flemish Parliament (2014-2019) and the Chamber of Representatives (2019)
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Pieters (b. 1956) is a former member of the Chamber of Representatives (1999-2003) and the Belgian Senate (2010-2014)
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Lavryssen (b. 1956) is a law professor and former judge at the Council of State
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as this name is more in keeping with the actual jurisdiction of the court.
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until they reach seventy years of age, when they retire from the bench.
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The Constitutional Court: Competence, organisation and workings
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The Court of Arbitration was officially inaugurated in the
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Pâques (b. 1959) is a former judge at the Council of State
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Nihoul (b. 1961) is a former judge at the Council of State
987:de Bethune (b. 1958) is a former member of the
859:) within a list of candidates provided by the
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8:
884:The Court is currently composed as follows:
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981:Bribosia (b. 1971) is law professor at the
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751:) plays a central role within the federal
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1028:Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region
117:Learn how and when to remove this message
1460:Courts and tribunals established in 1980
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53:Please improve this article by adding
1288:may be submitted to the Court by the
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18:Belgian Constitutional Court
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1280:An appeal to cancel a law,
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1320:casting vote
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1243:Erik Derycke
1231:Marc Bossuyt
1116:Paul Martens
1060:Etienne Gutt
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911:Thierry Giet
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844:inter partes
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406:Minor claims
403:Minor crimes
360:Trial courts
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157:Constitution
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1361:Rule of law
1264:(2014-2022)
1262:Rita Leysen
1258:(2007-2021)
1245:(2001-2019)
1214:(1993-2000)
1202:(1984-1996)
1195:(1984-1994)
1177:(1984-1986)
1160:(2020-2023)
1154:(2001-2022)
1142:(2001-2019)
1112:(1993-2001)
1105:(1992-2001)
1098:(1992-1994)
1092:(1989-2004)
1072:Irène Pétry
1014:(2004-2007)
995:(2014-2019)
942:, President
907:, President
880:Composition
824:special law
1424:Categories
1394:50°50′31″N
1250:André Alen
1066:Jean Sarot
836:erga omnes
77:newspapers
44:references
1397:4°21′37″E
1346:Judiciary
1286:ordinance
1276:Procedure
1224:Alex Arts
1169:Jan Delva
1101:Baroness
592:Provinces
504:Regional
440:European
434:elections
314:Judiciary
264:President
248:President
107:July 2023
1330:See also
1218:Rik Boel
867:and the
473:Federal
199:Philippe
182:Monarchy
164:Taxation
1298:Belgium
795:into a
767:History
432:Recent
189:Monarch
91:scholar
1306:Senate
1282:decree
1248:Baron
1229:Baron
1198:Baron
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869:Senate
850:Judges
745:German
737:French
535:Local
243:Senate
93:
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757:court
719:Dutch
98:JSTOR
84:books
713:The
557:2024
552:2018
547:2012
542:2006
526:2024
521:2019
516:2014
511:2009
495:2024
490:2019
485:2014
480:2010
463:2024
457:2019
452:2014
447:2009
193:list
70:news
1296:of
1284:or
983:ULB
46:to
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