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The European Court of Justice is one of the most important actors in the process of European integration. Political science still struggles to understand its significance, with recent scholarship emphasizing how closely rulings reflect member states’ preferences. In this book, I argue that the implications of the supremacy and direct effect of the EU law have still been overlooked. As it constitutionalizes an intergovernmental treaty, the European Union has a detailed set of policies inscribed into its constitution that are extensively shaped by the Court’s case law. If rulings have constitutional status, their impact is considerable, even if the Court only occasionally diverts from member states’ preferences. By focusing on the four freedoms of goods, services, persons, and capital, as well as citizenship rights, the book analyses how the Court’s development of case law has ascribed a broad meaning to these freedoms. The constitutional status of this case law constrains policymaking at the European and member-state levels. Different case studies show how major pieces of EU legislation cannot move beyond case law but have to codify its principles. Judicialization is important in the EU. It also directly constrains member-state policies. Court rulings oriented towards individual disputes are difficult to translate into general policies, and into administrative practices. Policy options are thereby withdrawn from majoritarian decision-making. As the Court cannot be overruled, short of a Treaty change, its case law casts a long shadow over policymaking in the European Union and its member states, undermining the legitimacy of this political order.

Judge-made law --- Case law --- Judicial law --- Judicial legislation --- Law, Judge-made --- Common law --- Judicial power --- Judicial process --- Lacunae in law --- Law --- Legislation --- Legislative power --- Interpretation and construction --- Court of Justice of the European Communities. --- Court of Justice of the European Union. --- European Union. Court of Justice of the European Union --- CJEU --- Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union --- Cour de justice de l'Union européenne --- Curia (Court of Justice of the European Union) --- Európai Unió Bírósága --- Trybunał Sprawiedliwości Unii Europejskiej --- CJUE --- Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea --- Hof van Justitie van de Europese Unie --- Court of Justice of the European Communities --- Cour de justice des communautés européennes --- Gerichtshof der Europäischen Gemeinschaften --- Corte di giustizia delle comunità europee --- Dikastērion tēs Europaikēs Oikonomikēs Koinotētos --- Hof van Justitie van de Europese Gemeenschappen --- Tribunal de Justicia de las Comunidades Europeas --- GHEG --- European Atomic Energy Community. --- European Economic Community. --- European Court of Justice --- Europäischer Gerichtshof --- Curtea de Justiție a Comunităților Europene --- Ōshū Shihō Saibansho --- G.H.E.G. --- Tribunal de Justiça das Comunidades Europeias --- Sud evropeĭskikh soobshchestv --- Avrupa Toplulukları Adalet Divanı --- Tribunal de Justiça das Comunidades --- Curia Communitatum Europaearum --- Eurōpaiko Dikastērio --- Dikastērio Eurōpaikōn Koinotētōn --- DEK --- EuGH --- ECJ --- D.E.K. --- Europejski Trybunał Sprawiedliwości --- ETS --- Dikastērio tōn Eurōpaikōn Koinotētōn --- CEJ --- European Union. --- Európai Bíróság --- European Coal and Steel Community. --- Court of Justice of the European Union --- European Court of Justice, judicialization, EU policymaking, case-law development, the power of the ECJ, constitutionalization