Wise men not so wise

Investigation into the constitutional council

Yvan Stefanovitch

Parution le 13/01/2026

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Résumé

The nine "Sages" of the Constitutional Council are responsible for censoring laws if they are not in line with the Constitution. However, the presidents of the Republic, the Senate, and the National Assembly legally appoint these judges for a non-renewable nine-year term, without requiring them to have any particular expertise or experience. Welcome to the madhouse.

These nine septuagenarians are former politicians or senior civil servants appointed through political cronyism and therefore answerable to the executive branch. In fact, the work of these "wise men" is discreetly carried out by a dozen senior civil servants who are competent and experienced. The club of silencers imposes a terrible silence on both the right and the left...

For convenience, journalists and comedians have nicknamed them "Sages" since the Council was created by General De Gaulle. This label is an illusion, a pipe dream, even a figment of the imagination. It masks the incredible and multiple dysfunctions of what is essentially a cushy job.

Our investigation reveals that 56% of the "Sages'" generous remuneration is illegal. It depends on the executive branch, which, for its part, produces the majority of the laws examined by the Council... When the state can withdraw this illegal allowance at any time, what independence and impartiality can we expect from those who are supposed to be the guardians of the Constitution, the rule of law, and the freedoms of the French people?

Yvan Stefanovitch was a journalist at AFP, VSD and France-Soir. He has written several best-selling books, including Aux frais de la princesse (JC Lattès, 2007); Le Sénat : un paradis fiscal pour des parlementaires fantômes (éditions du Rocher, 2016) and Petits arrangements entre amis (Albin Michel, 2020).