Overview

• Undersecretary of Justice Andrea Delmastro sparked uproar by saying some magistrates speak “like mafiosi” at an FdI-organized conference in Turin.
• Debora Serracchiani called the remark an attack on the rule of law and Enza Rando said Delmastro’s words were intolerable and incompatible with his office.
• Senators Walter Verini and Anna Rossomando condemned the language as authoritarian and joined calls for Delmastro to step down.
• The comment targeted a private email from Cassation magistrate Marco Patarnello that critiqued Prime Minister Meloni’s political stance.
• The dispute has fueled broader fears that proposed justice reforms could erode judicial independence and criminalize dissent.