The Court Speaks First? Problems and Challenges of Prior Judicial Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5294/dika.2025.34.1.11Keywords:
Prior review, dialogical justice, cooperative constitutionalism, judicial deliberation, participatory constitutional reviewAbstract
Comparative constitutional law studies on who has the final say in a democratic system have largely focused on models of judicial review conducted after laws are enacted. However, models of constitutional justice also incorporate certain forms of prior constitutional review. This article examines cases in which judges speak first. For that reason, it addresses the problems and challenges that prior constitutional review poses for democracy, particularly with respect to its exercise and the need to engage in dialogue with the other branches of government. Special attention is given to the challenges related to the necessity of anticipating constitutional issues, the lack of citizen participation, and the inevitable disruption of claim preclusion. All of this is analyzed within the contextual framework of one of the most active and sophisticated systems of prior review in the world: that of Colombia.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Jorge Ernesto Roa Roa, Juan José Aristizábal López
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