Francesco Paolo Bonifacio
Encyclopedia
Francesco Paolo Bonifacio (born May 3, 1923) was an Italian politician and jurist, a Minister of Justice and President of the Constitutional Court of Italy
.
, near Naples
.
He was one of the youngest full professors of Roman Law
at the University of Naples, a position he held until February 1963 when he was elected by the Italian Parliament
as a judge of the Italian Constitutional Court
. He was then elected as the eighth President of such Court from February 1973 to October 1975.
In 1975 Bonifacio was elected to the Italian Senate
, and was Minister of Justice
from February 1976 until March 1979. From 1979, Bonifacio taught Constitutional Justice at the Sapienza University of Rome, while remaining a Senator. Bonifacio presided over two Senate commissions which considered and promoted constitutional amendment
s.
Bonifacio was awarded Italy’s highest honor: the Republic's Grand Cross
Knighthood (Cavaliere di Gran Croce della Repubblica).
Constitutional Court of Italy
The Constitutional Court of Italy is a supreme court of Italy, the other being the Court of Cassation. Sometimes the name Consulta is used as a metonym for it, because its sessions are held in Palazzo della Consulta in Rome....
.
Biography
Bonifacio was born in Castellammare di StabiaCastellammare di Stabia
Castellammare di Stabia is a comune in the province of Naples, Campania region, southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about 30 kilometers southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento.-History:...
, near Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
He was one of the youngest full professors of Roman Law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
at the University of Naples, a position he held until February 1963 when he was elected by the Italian Parliament
Parliament of Italy
The Parliament of Italy is the national parliament of Italy. It is a bicameral legislature with 945 elected members . The Chamber of Deputies, with 630 members is the lower house. The Senate of the Republic is the upper house and has 315 members .Since 2005, a party list electoral law is being...
as a judge of the Italian Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of Italy
The Constitutional Court of Italy is a supreme court of Italy, the other being the Court of Cassation. Sometimes the name Consulta is used as a metonym for it, because its sessions are held in Palazzo della Consulta in Rome....
. He was then elected as the eighth President of such Court from February 1973 to October 1975.
In 1975 Bonifacio was elected to the Italian Senate
Italian Senate
The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
, and was Minister of Justice
Justice Minister
A justice ministry is a ministry or other government agency charged with justice. The ministry is often headed by a minister for justice or secretary of justice or secretary for justice; sometimes the head of a department of justice is entitled attorney general.Specific duties may relate to...
from February 1976 until March 1979. From 1979, Bonifacio taught Constitutional Justice at the Sapienza University of Rome, while remaining a Senator. Bonifacio presided over two Senate commissions which considered and promoted constitutional amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
s.
Bonifacio was awarded Italy’s highest honor: the Republic's Grand Cross
Grand Cross
The phrase Grand Cross is used to denote the highest grade in many orders of knighthood. Sometimes the holders of the highest grade are referred to "knights grand cross" or just "grand crosses"; in other cases the actual insignia itself is called "the grand cross".Alternatively, in some other...
Knighthood (Cavaliere di Gran Croce della Repubblica).