The Italian Constitutional Court’s Ruling against State Immunity when International Crimes Occur: Thoughts on Decision No 238 of 2014

The tension between access to justice and jurisdictional immunity of States is one of the most debated topics in current public international law. The present essay aims to explore the Italian Constitutional Court’s opinion on this matter, in particular after its recent judgment no. 238 of 2014, in which the Court stated that Italy is no longer bound by the rule on State immunity in the case of civil proceedings dealing with damages caused by the Nazi army during World War II. Studying the Court’s reasoning and the arguments provided in order to compel Italy not to implement the ICJ judgment in the Jurisdictional Immunities of the State could provide a new point of view in the International Community, based on domestic constitutional norms, about the fundamental need to protect the rights of the human being, even to the detriment of a international customary rule.