Mattarella tells new magistrates judges must be free of hierarchy and outside pressure

The speech at the Quirinale

Sergio Mattarella received ordinary magistrates in training at the Quirinale in Rome on 10 November 2026, a group Il Messaggero put at 339 newly selected candidates. Rai News reported that the trainees had been named by ministerial decree of 3 September 2025. Before the head of state spoke, Fabio Pinelli, vice president of the Superior Council of the Magistracy, and Mauro Paladini, president of the Higher School of the Judiciary, addressed the group. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio was among those present at the meeting.

Independence and freedom from hierarchy

Mattarella said the equality of all citizens before the law presupposes an independent judiciary and impartial decisions, since only that can secure equal dignity for each person through the real enforcement of their rights. He tied this to the Constitution, stating that judges must not be subject to any hierarchical superior and must not be conditioned by interests or by the will of other branches of power.

“The magistrates must not be subject to any form of hierarchical subordination, and must not be conditioned by interests or by the will of other powers.”

He added that these guarantees allow courts to apply the principle of legality by protecting rights through daily work in courtrooms, where current law is applied and interpreted. He also told the trainees to apply the law without arbitrary subjective readings. Il Messaggero framed the speech as following by about two weeks Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's sharp criticism of a judge who had released a suspect accused of inciting offences against public order in a Telegram chat, which she called shameful.

Legal soundness and professional conduct

Mattarella described the quality of judicial work as an unavoidable duty for magistrates, on which the trust the country places in the administration of justice depends. He said the legal soundness of decisions guarantees the authority of the judiciary, and that a ruling must be recognisable as an interpretation consistent with the law and existing case law.

“The legal soundness of decisions is the guarantee of the authority of the judiciary.”

He urged discretion about the trials and subjects magistrates handle, warning that a lack of it could undermine the credibility of the judicial order. He also stressed serious respect for professional ethics and sobriety in individual conduct, including in the various forms of communication that judges use.

Social media and ethics rules

Mattarella called communication, including through social media, a particularly delicate matter, because new tools spread information with new speed and reach. He argued that the response should be ethical codes for how these tools are used rather than outright bans.

“Urgent reflection is needed not so much to impose bans as to define codes of professional conduct.”

He warned that improper use of these tools could damage the prestige of the judicial function. Speaking to the trainees, he advised them to cultivate doubt, reject any form of cognitive presumption and use their traineeship to build a working method through exchange with colleagues and office heads. He said the professional maturity needed for the role is learned in the field, by listening and staying open to debate, which he described as the core of the procedural process.