Cassano calls for mutual respect between institutions

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 24 - Members of the judiciary are committed to working for the highest values expressed by the Italian Constitution as part of an effort that needs to be accompanied by a climate of mutual respect between the institutions of the State, the First President of the Supreme Court of Cassation Margherita Cassano said on Friday at the inauguration of the Judicial Year.
    Magistrates are committed to implementing the "highest values expressed by the Constitution", an "effort that needs to be accompanied by a context of reciprocal respect between the various institutions of the State", noted Cassano.
    "A true pact for the rule of law able to fuel the confidence of citizens towards all the institutions that have been given the role of exercising sovereign functions by the fundamental Charter", noted the judge, who in March 2023 became the first woman to helm the supreme court after being appointed by the judiciary's self-governing body, the National Council of Magistrates (CSM).
    In her inaugural address, Cassano also spoke about femicides.
    "In the year 2024, out of a total of 314 murders (down 8% compared to the 340 of the previous year and 328 of 2022), those that took place within the family or a relationship were 151 and in 96 cases the victim was a woman", she noted.
    "The figures continue to be alarming as the expression of a long-lasting, narrow-minded perception of the woman as an object of possession and domination by the man".
    The Cassation Court's First President also spoke about irregular labour "as one of the main causes" of work-related injuries and deaths.
    "There is a strong correlation between quality, dignity, security on the job as shown by the unacceptable number of deadly incidents that continue to occur with dramatic regularity", she said.
    She also expressed "dismay" for the high number of suicides in Italian prisons, or 83 (47 Italians and 36 foreigners) as of December 2024.
    Cassano went on to highlight that "serving justice" has become more difficult and requires magistrates to firmly abide by "a number of basic principles".
    Specifically, she noted that the solution to legal cases needed to be found exclusively within the law while considering the "concrete impact of the law" on their solution.
    She highlighted the need for a "sense of responsibility and self-limitation" in carrying out such a duty.
    Cassano stressed the importance of a "loyal collaboration between the various powers and bodies of the State" in the "respect of the separation of roles provided for by the fundamental Charter". (ANSA).