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What’s New: Week of March 2

In this weekly feature, I-CONnect publishes a curated reading list of developments in public law. “Developments” may include a selection of links to news, high court decisions, new or recent scholarly books and articles, and blog posts from around the public law blogosphere.

To submit relevant developments for our weekly feature on “What’s New in Public Law,” please email iconnecteditors@gmail.com.

Developments in Constitutional Courts

  1. The US Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed by President Trump through executive orders, ruling that he had exceeded presidential powers granted by Congress in a law aimed at regulating commerce during national emergencies caused by foreign powers. The ruling has implications for the scope of executive authority and presidential powers.
  2. India’s Supreme Court issued a blanket ban on a school textbook which contained references to ‘corruption in the judiciary,’ taking up the matter on its own motion following news reports about the textbook’s contents.
  3. Belgium’s Constitutional Court issued an order temporarily suspending federal rules on immigration and family reunification, and referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union for determination on compatibility with EU law.
  4. An administrative court in Germany has issued an injunction temporarily restraining intelligence agencies from designating the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as “confirmed right-wing extremist.” This limits the ability of intelligence agencies to place the AfD under surveillance.
  5. Nepal’s Supreme Court has issued a significant ruling concerning federalism, holding that the federal parliament cannot interfere in provincial jurisdiction over the management of forests.

In the News

  1. Korea’s National Assembly passed a series of legislative reforms restructuring the constitutional court to allow individuals to file complaints seeking review of lower court decisions if they are alleged to infringe on constitutional rights, despite warnings from the Supreme Court that this might result in a ‘fourth trial’ system that prolongs judicial proceedings and expands appellate filings.
  2. Thailand’s Election Commission announced the results of an official referendum, showing that 58% of the votes were in favour of drafting a new constitution.
  3. A proposal to cap the Swiss population at 10 million has received enough support to be put to vote by national referendum later this year.
  4. Multiple US corporations and individuals have filed lawsuits seeking refunds of tariffs after the Supreme Court invalidated President Trump’s use of executive authority to impose them.
  5. Two constitutional amendments tabled in Malaysia’s Federal Parliament seek to limit the Prime Minister’s tenure to ten years, and formally separate the powers of the public prosecutor and attorney general.

New Scholarship

  1. Jennifer Orlando-Salling and Silvia Steininger, ‘Decolonising European Society‘ European Law Open (2026)
  2. M. Victoria Kristan, ‘Violations of the rule of law: A typology to guide decision-makers‘ Law and Philosophy (2026)
  3. Keith Cherry, ‘Sovereignty, Difference & Constitutional Pluralism: The European Union and Canada in Dialog‘ Global Constitutionalism (2026)
  4. Pacifique Niyonizigiye et al, ‘Judicial Design, Gender and Ethnicity: A Typology Applied to the Burundi Constitutional Court‘ Journal of African Law (2026)
  5. Sandrine Baume and David Ragazzoni (eds), Hans Kelsen on Constitutional Democracy: Genesis, Theory, Legacies (Cambridge University Press, 2026)

Calls for Papers and Announcements

  1. The University College of Dublin’s Centre for Constitutional Studies invites abstracts for the third edition of their New and Emerging Voices in Constitutional Law symposium, to be held on 22 April 2026. Abstracts are due by 13 March 2026.
  2. The United Nations International Law Fellowship Programme is accepting applications until 30 March 2026.
  3. Submissions are open for the 55th Amsterdam International Conference on Law & Justice Studies. The early bird deadline is 13 April 2026.
  4. The Lisbon Public Law Research Centre and The International Association of Legislation invite researchers and academics to submit contributions for a conference with the theme “Law, Democracy, and Human Behaviour: From Text to Crystal-Clear Understanding”, to be held on 15 May 2026 at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon. The deadline for submissions is 15 March 2026.

Elsewhere Online

  1. Josephina Lee, ‘The Price of Constitutional Subversion‘ Verfassungblog (25 February 2026)
  2. Kevin YL Tan, ‘Hel-LO, goodbye? It’s time to establish the Leader of the Opposition in law‘ Academia SG (26 February 2026)
  3. Maryam S Khan, ‘Pakistan: New court, old elite‘ SC Observer (26 February 2026)
  4. Marko Milanovic, ‘The American-Israeli Strikes on Iran are (Again) Manifestly Illegal‘ EJIL Talk! (28 February 2026)

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