Francesco Viganò Elected President of the Constitutional Court

Francesco Viganò will lead Italy’s Constitutional Court. The Bocconi Full Professor of Criminal Law was elected unanimously on 28 October by his fellow justices, having served as Vice President since January 2025. He will take office on 14 November, succeeding Giovanni Amoroso, and serve until 8 March 2027, when his term as a constitutional justice comes to an end.

“Francesco Viganò’s election is a source of great pride for the entire Bocconi community,” says Rector Francesco Billari. “The justices’ unanimous choice recognizes the standing of a legal scholar whose work is distinguished by academic rigor, the protection of fundamental rights and international dialogue. We offer him our congratulations and our very best wishes as he takes on this responsibility.”

Protecting Rights Through Research and Teaching

Protecting the individual and examining the real-world consequences of the law have been central to Viganò’s career, in both research and teaching. Born in Milan in 1966, he graduated from the University of Milan and earned his PhD at the University of Pavia, following a period of research in Munich. He taught in Brescia and at the University of Milan before joining Bocconi in November 2016, where he taught Italian and transnational criminal law until his appointment to the Constitutional Court in 2018. His research explores fundamental rights, the limits of the state’s power to punish, and the relationship between criminal law and supranational sources of law.

Engaging with students has played a central role in that career. “Students are my lifeblood and my mirror,” he said in an interview with Via Sarfatti 25, the University’s magazine, in April 2018, shortly after his appointment as a constitutional justice. He added: “Students are often the best judges of whether an idea holds up.” That relationship was nurtured through classroom debate and by encouraging students to assess legal interpretations through common sense and an awareness of the humanity of those involved.

Bocconi’s Ties to the Constitutional Court

Viganò will take on a role previously held by Marta Cartabia, now Full Professor of Constitutional Law and Vice Rector for Social Engagement and Institutional Affairs at Bocconi. The first woman to lead the Constitutional Court, Cartabia served as President from 11 December 2019 to 13 September 2020 and joined the University at the end of her term.

“Francesco Viganò’s experience, like Marta Cartabia’s, shows how productive the relationship between legal research, education and public service can be,” Billari adds. “For our students, meeting faculty members who contribute directly to the country’s constitutional life means understanding the practical value of studying law and the responsibilities it entails.”