Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 July 2018
Le vicende di tangentopoli e le relative conseguenze politico-istituzionali hanno conferito all'intervento giudiziario un rilievo maggiore che in passato rispetto ai complessi rapporti tra poteri dello Stato e tra governanti e governati. La magistratura, soprattutto quella penale, mostra di aver acquisito una consapevolezza del proprio ruolo e delle proprie funzioni nell'ambito del sistema politico come forse mai in precedenza nella storia della repubblica. Ci si interroga ancora oggi, a tre anni di distanza dall'inizio di tangentopoli, sul perché l'intervento dei magistrati abbia accelerato la crisi del regime democratico italiano e favorito l'inizio di una fase di transizione. Ci si chiede, inoltre, in che misura, con quali conseguenze e per quanto tempo ancora gli attori giudiziari saranno in grado di conservare un potenziale di influenza così ampio sul sistema politico e sulla funzionalità di istituzioni governative e parlamentari.
The aim of this article consists in examining the relationship between the crisis of Italian democracy and the increasing political activism of judicial élites.
In the first part, it is pointed out how the democratic crisis is deeply rooted both in a lack of political legitimation, caused by an increasing political corruption, and in the ineffectiveness of judicial control. The analysis of the structural legal crisis in Italy shows the capture of the watchdogs of legality and their neutralization. Since the beginning of the 90's, the functionality of the Italian political system has been radically altered by a new judicial activism against political and administrative corruption. It created at the same time an unexpected and large consensus in the country for judicial action and an intense conflict between some public prosecutors and the politicians. A general intensification of judicial prosecutions produced a renewed emphasis on developing the potentialities of the public prosecutors office.
In the second part, the article analyses what makes the Italian judicial activism unique. In particular the discussion concentrates on the crucial role played by mass media in shaping a new balance of power between judiciary and politicians. The Italian public prosecutors increased their popolarity by defending and promoting their judicial politics on television. Therefore the simbolic power of their action went very far beyond the traditional political neutrality of judicial power. Judicial activism together with extra-judicial activism brought the Italian prosecutors to play the role of public policy formulators in conflict with the national government and the minister of justice.
Finally the third part points out how an opinion directed judicial élite influences and modifies the dinamic of democratic legitimation. The entering of judicial élites in the political arena modifies the features of the democratic regime because of the conflict with political power in giving solution to some political issues.
Nowadays, in the Italian case, the question consists in creating the basis of a new balance between justice, media and political power.