EU Treaties and the Judicial Politics of National Courts

Pablo José Castillo Ortiz is Lecturer in Law at The University of Sheffield, UK.

• Contents: 1. National Higher Courts and Processes of Ratification of European Union Treaties 2. Constructing a Model of Judicial Behavior. Theoretical Framework 3. EU Primary Law Before the Guardians of the Constitution: Courts’ Decisions On the Merits 4. Kompetenz-Kompetenz: The Doctrine of The Last Say. The Interpretative Decisions of Courts 5. The Legal Dimension: Assessing Judicial Behaviour From the Viewpoint of Legal Rules 6.The Political Dimension: a Pro-ratification Context 7. The Judicial Dimension: Institutional Design and Decisional Dynamics 8. Judicial Behaviour as a Result of Complex Causation: a QCA Approach to the Juridical Dynamics of Treaty Ratification 9. Conclusions and Some Final Reflections

"This is a unique example of a masterful combination of legal and political science scholarship on a topic seldom researched in such a comprehensive way. Pablo Castillo constructs a compelling case for interdisciplinary research on courts."— Carlos Closa, European University Institute, Italy"This book offers a unique analysis of the role played by national Supreme and Constitutional Courts in the process of ratification of European Union treaties. By combining traditional research and empirical data, a deep knowledge of the legal processes and political science’s instruments, this book manages to deliver an excellent piece of scholarship based on sound research and rigorous methodology"—Giuseppe Martinico, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy