Do you approve the text of the Constitutional Law entitled 'Provisions governing the judicial system and the establishment of the Disciplinary Court' approved by Parliament and published in the Official Gazette no. 253 of 30 October 2025?
Voters were asked whether they approved a constitutional law, often called "Nordio Reform" from the name of the justice minister, that would amend the Italian Constitution in various aspects, most notably by proposing the constitutional separation of career paths between judges and public prosecutors, the splitting of the High Council of the Judiciary (CSM) into two distinct bodies, and the selection of members by sortition rather than traditional election, as well as the establishment of a High Disciplinary Court to oversee disciplinary proceedings.[2][3]
Details of the reform
The constitutional law, published on 30 October 2025 in the General Series No. 253 of the Official Gazette (Gazzetta Ufficiale), pursuant to Article 138 of the Constitution, is subject to a constitutional referendum. The constitutional reform, promoted by the government of Giorgia Meloni, introduces structural amendments to Articles 87, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, and 110 of the Constitution of the Italian Republic, with the complete replacement of Articles 104 and 105, and behaves the constitutional separation of the careers of judicial magistrates (judges) and prosecutorial magistrates (public prosecutors) as well as the division of the High Council of the Judiciary (Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura, CSM), the self-governing body of the Italian judiciary, into a Judicial CSM and a Prosecutorial CSM, each responsible for the career management of judicial and prosecutorial magistrates respectively.[4]
Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, after whom the reform was named
The reform also replaces of the elective system for selecting CSM members with a random selection mechanism for the members of the two Councils, according to two different procedures: the so-called "lay members" (one third of the total) are drawn by lot from a list of full university professors in legal disciplines and lawyers with at least fifteen years of professional practice, compiled by the Italian Parliament in joint session through election; the judicial members (two thirds of the total) are drawn by lot from among judicial magistrates and prosecutorial magistrates. A subsequent ordinary law is entrusted with determining the number of members of the two Councils and the detailed procedures for the drawing of lots.[5]
Moreover, the Nordio reform establishes the High Disciplinary Court (Alta Corte Disciplinare), to which disciplinary jurisdiction over ordinary magistrates is assigned, removing this function from the disciplinary section of the CSM, which currently exercises it. The High Disciplinary Court is composed of fifteen members: three appointed by the president of Italy from among full university professors in legal disciplines and lawyers with at least twenty years of professional practice; three drawn by lot from a list of individuals with the same qualifications compiled by Parliament in joint session through election; six judicial magistrates and three prosecutorial magistrates drawn by lot from among members of the respective categories with at least twenty years of judicial service who perform or have performed functions at the Court of Cassation level. The High Disciplinary Court elects its president from among the judges appointed by the president of the Republic or drawn from the list compiled by Parliament. Appeals against decisions of the High Disciplinary Court, including on the merits, are admissible solely before the same High Disciplinary Court. A subsequent ordinary law is tasked with defining disciplinary offenses and corresponding sanctions, specifying the composition of the panels, regulating the disciplinary procedure, and establishing the rules necessary for the functioning of the High Disciplinary Court.[6]
Campaign
The Democratic Party (PD) officially launched its campaign in favor of a No vote in the constitutional referendum on 24 January 2026, adopting the slogan "Vote No to defend the Constitution".[7] The Five Star Movement (M5S) similarly structured its opposition campaign around the slogan "Vote No to the Save-the-Political-Elite Referendum" portraying the reform as a measure designed to protect the Meloni's government powers.[8] The Green and Left Alliance (AVS) also criticized the constitutional reform, accusing it of aiming to concentrate excessive powers in the hands of the government.[9]
Alongside political parties, several civil society groups and professional organizations formed committees to oppose the reform. On 18 November 2025, the "Right to Say No" (Giusto dire No) committee began its campaign under the leadership of the National Association of Magistrates (ANM), with constitutional law professor Enrico Grosso as its head. This was followed on 10 December 2025 by the creation of "Lawyers for No", a committee launched by a group of attorneys and chaired by Franco Moretti.[10]
On 10 January 2026, a broader coalition of organizations inaugurated the committee "Civil Society for No in the Constitutional Referendum".[11] This group included, among others, the trade union CGIL, the anti-mafia association Libera, the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI), and the environmental organization Legambiente. The committee was presided over by former deputy Giovanni Bachelet and supported by physicist and Nobel laureate Giorgio Parisi. In parallel with its campaigning activities, the committee also promoted a signature collection in support of the referendum process.[12]
Public intellectuals also took positions in the debate. On 18 January 2026, historian Alessandro Barbero publicly announced his opposition to the reform in a video message explaining his reasons. On 23 January, the video was removed by Meta, prompting the PD to submit a parliamentary inquiry addressed to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni regarding the episode.[13] Opposition to the reform was further expressed by local government representatives. More than 150 mayors signed an appeal promoted by Italian Local Autonomies and the Civil Society for No committee. Among the signatories were prominent city leaders such as Roberto Gualtieri of Rome, Gaetano Manfredi of Naples, Stefano Lo Russo of Turin, Matteo Lepore of Bologna, Sara Funaro of Florence, Silvia Salis of Genoa, Massimo Zedda of Cagliari, and Vittoria Ferdinandi of Perugia.[14]
On the other side of the referendum campaign, the governing parties did not organize a unified effort in favor of the reform. Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) notably avoided using its party symbol in its promotional materials, unlike the League and Forza Italia (FI), which maintained their traditional branding.[15] The Liberal Democratic Party of Luigi Marattin, a former member of PD and Italia Viva, became the first political party to formally establish a pro-reform committee, named "Justice Yes".[16]
Several independent committees also emerged in support of the constitutional changes. The "Yes to the Reform" committee was chaired by constitutional judge Nicolò Zanon, with journalist Alessandro Sallusti serving as spokesperson.[17] The group included individuals currently affiliated with or formerly involved in FdI, Lega and FI. The Luigi Einaudi Foundation launched the committee "Yes to Separation", presided over by lawyer Gian Domenico Caiazza and supported by figures such as Matteo Hallissey, former magistrate Antonio Di Pietro, Andrea Cangini, and historian Ernesto Galli della Loggia.[18] In July 2025, the Union of Criminal Chambers had already established its own committee to back the reform.[19]
Notably, some figures traditionally associated with the centre-left also endorsed the "Yes" campaign. The association Libertà Eguale formed the committee "The Left That Votes Yes", led by the former president of the Constitutional Court, Augusto Barbera, the former Democratic MP Stefano Ceccanti, and the former minister, Cesare Salvi, who opposed the broader left-wing decision to campaign against the reform.[20] Additionally, Fabrizio Cicchitto, together with former ministers Claudio Signorile and Salvo Andò, launched the "Giuliano Vassalli Committee for Yes". Finally, on 21 January 2026, the "Populars for Yes" committee was established, chaired by constitutional scholar Giulio Prosperetti, further expanding the network of organizations advocating in favor of the constitutional reform.[21]
↑"Referendum Giustizia. Si vota il 22 e 23 marzo"[Justice Referendum: Voting will take place on March 22nd and 23rd]. Ministry of Interior (in Italian). 19 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
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