Costantino Mortati and the Material Constitution

Chapter abstract: The aim of this chapter is twofold. It initially illustrates Mortati’s version of legal institutionalism and then explains how his idea of the material constitution addresses the challenge of pluralism. There are three main parts of the chapter. In the first, the historical context of Mortati’s reflections is briefly introduced. The second part is centered on the main tenets of his legal theory. First, his imperative conception of law and the institutionalist version of the legal order are compared not only with Romano and Schmitt, but also with Smend and Heller. Then, the key notion of the material constitution is reconstructed through an analysis of its function, subjects, and fundamental political aims. The last part of the chapter argues that the concept of the material constitution was conceived as a response to social pluralism and elucidates its undergirding integrative logic.