Josep Maria Tirapu Sanuy donnera une conférence portant comme titre « Courts and Minority Nations: The Judicial Role in the Accommodation of National Pluralism ».
Résumé :
This paper advances a constitutional theory of the judicial role in the accommodation of national pluralism – that is, a theory of how courts should respond to conflicts involving minority nations, focusing on Quebec, Scotland, and Catalonia. It begins by proposing an account of plurinational federalism, understood as the application of the federal principle to the purpose of accommodating minority nations. The article then turns to derive its implications for the judicial role. Ultimately, it argues that courts, when adjudicating territorial conflicts, should generally interpret the relevant constitutional provisions in a manner that promotes the accommodation of minority nations. In acting in this way, courts can contribute to preserve and promote the ongoing legitimacy of the constitutional order. While both courts and political actors have a role to play in accommodating national pluralism, the judicial role becomes particularly important when political accommodation fails, especially in the context of rigid constitutions. These claims are tested through a comparative analysis of case law in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain, focusing on secessionist conflicts in Quebec, Scotland, and Catalonia. The comparison highlights the strengths of the approach adopted in the Quebec Secession Reference, and shows why the failure to adopt a similar approach proved more problematic in Spain, with a rigid constitution, than in the UK, where the constitution is flexible.
Josep Maria Tirapu Sanuy est est doctorant en droit à l’Université de Cambridge (Royaume-Uni). Ses intérêts de recherche couvrent les domaines du pluralisme national, du fédéralisme, de la dévolution, de l’autodétermination et des droits humains.
Quand : Vendredi 16 janvier 2026, 11h à 12h30
Où : 315 rue Sainte-Catherine Est, pavillon des sciences de la gestion (R), 3e étage, local R-3680
Conférence en présentiel et en ligne.
Pour recevoir le lien Zoom de l’activité, écrivez-nous à l’adresse suivante : capcf@uqam.ca
