La composición de la Justicia Constitucional en perspectiva comparada (en especial, con relación a Estados Unidos)

The institutional crisis provoked by the delay of the new appointments to the Constitutional Court has prompted general reflection about the rules governing its composition and new appointments. Its regular working, its independence, its democratic legitimacy and its own auctoritas are crucial to fulfilling the constitutional mission with which it is entrusted. The fulfilment of these principles also depends in great measure upon the rules governing its composition, e.g. the powers and majorities that take part in the election of Justices, the term limits of their tenure, and the qualifications they should posess. The present article attempts to make a balanced contribution to the conversation about these questions, in the light of American experience. The author approaches these problems by critically examining the American system in the light of historical experience, in order to avoid either an excessive fear or a naïve acceptance of foreign patterns.La crisis institucional provocada por el retraso de los nuevos nombramientos para el Tribunal Constitucional ha suscitado una reflexión generalizada acerca de las reglas sobre su composición y renovación. Su funcionamiento normal, su independencia, su legitimación democrática y su auctoritas son cruciales para cumplir la misión constitucional que tiene encomendada. A su vez, la realización de estos principios depende en gran medida de las reglas que gobiernan su composición, v.gr. los órganos y mayorías que intervienen en la selección de los magistrados, el término de sus mandatos y las cualidades que han de poseer. Este artículo pretende hacer una contribución ponderada a la discusión sobre estas cuestiones a la luz de la experiencia norteamericana. El autor se aproxima a estos problemas examinando críticamente el sistema norteamericano a la luz de la experiencia histórica, en aras de evitar tanto el temor excesivo como la aceptación acrítica de modelos extranjeros.The institutional crisis provoked by the delay of the new appointments to the Constitutional Court has prompted general reflection about the rules governing its composition and new appointments. Its regular working, its independence, its democratic legitimacy and its own auctoritas are crucial to fulfilling the constitutional mission with which it is entrusted. The fulfilment of these principles also depends in great measure upon the rules governing its composition, e.g. the powers and majorities that take part in the election of Justices, the term limits of their tenure, and the qualifications they should posess. The present article attempts to make a balanced contribution to the conversation about these questions, in the light of American experience. The author approaches these problems by critically examining the American system in the light of historical experience, in order to avoid either an excessive fear or a naïve acceptance of foreign patterns