Proporzionalità, diritti, democrazia

Proportionality is now a central concept in global constitutionalism, a crucial feature of the grammar of the new lingua franca used by legal actors around the world – allowing the circulation of legal solutions and argumentative styles. In this essay, I will discuss two issues pertaining to the legitimacy of the use of proportionality analysis by courts. The first issue regards the relation between proportionality analysis and the strength that we normally associate to the idea of fundamental rights. The second issue regards the compatibility between the use of proportionality analysis by courts and democracy. I will conclude with some reflections on the relation between the global spread of proportionality and what I will call the culture of justification.