Procedure presented to protect judge under attack from govt

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 3 - A request was presented on Tuesday to the Italian judiciary's self-governing body to open a procedure to protect a Catania judge who has come under heavy fire from the government for saying, in a ruling, that recent legislation on migrants was illegitimate.
    Judge Iolanda Apostolico is at the centre of a political storm after she decided not to uphold an order for three migrants to be held at the Pozzallo CPR pre-expulsion centre on the grounds that the related legislation breached the Italian Constitution, international conventions, and EU law.
    The government has passed a series of laws regarding the handling of migrants, including a recent decree stipulating that they can be held in CPR centres for up to 18 months but can post a 'bail' of 5,000 euros in order to avert being detained, a measure that has spurred widespread criticism.
    On Monday Premier Giorgia Meloni said she was "astounded" by the decision and asserted that "part of Italy is doing everything it can to favour illegal immigration".
    The interior ministry said it would challenge the ruling.
    The furore had become even more heated due to allegations that past social-media posts by the judge suggest she is biased against the government's policy on migrants.
    The League has presented a parliamentary question to Justice Minister Carlo Nordio about the case after daily newspaper Il Giornale reported on the judge's posts, including one in 2018 calling for a motion of no-confidence in Salvini when he was interior minister.
    The request for the procedure to protect Apostolico was presented by 13 of the 16 CSM members stemming from the judiciary.
    The CSM is also made up of eight 'lay' councillors who are elected by parliament.
    The request was a response to the "serious professional delegitimisation" Apostolico has been subjected to and "attacks on the autonomy of judges", a statement said. (ANSA).