Constitutional Court Accepts Headscarf Petition

The Constitutional Court accepted a petition filed by CHP and DSP for the Court to examine the headscarf amendments yesterday. Both parties contend the new amendments are in conflict with Article 2 of of the Constitution. An analysis of what the Court might do appears in Today's Zaman. There is some question as to whether the Court has the authority to examine the substance of the amendments or merely the procedure by which they were made. The analysis suggests that while it is highly unlikely that the Court will repeal the amendments, it is entirely in the realm of possibility that they will interpret the amendments in such a way as to overrule the intention of the parliamentarians that drafted and voted for the amendments.