The Concept of Constitution and the Control of the Constitutional Amendment Process

Presentation of a research project as part of the "Jeudis de la Maison Suger", a residents' research seminar.

This session will feature Carla Huerta around a reflection that combines several key elements of research on the concept of Constitution and the process of amendment in French constitutional culture.

The project

"The research explores from the legal point of view, how Constitutions become embedded in social consciousness and everyday practice, while examining the challenges that arise in maintaining a normative constitutional culture. France and Mexico present fascinating case studies for comparison, as both nations have experienced multiple constitutional transitions, yet developed distinct approaches to constitutionalism. For example, the frequency of constitutional amendments in Mexico not only contrasts sharply with France's more measured approach—reflecting different attitudes toward constitutional stability—but also constitutes a risk to the rule of law. The project focuses specifically on the notion of Constitution to explore its influence in the development of a constitutional culture, as well as in its function to limit and control its modification. Judicial control of constitutionality of the constitutional amendment process is therefore also studied."

Speaker

Carla Huerta is a full-time senior researcher at the Legal Research Institute (IIJ) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She holds a Law degree from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and a PhD in Law from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She conducted postdoctoral research in Germany on normative conflicts. The author of several books and peer-reviewed articles, her work explores legal reasoning, the rule of law, and, more recently, the intersections between law and culture, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary legal challenges.