Two married Brescia magistrates have formally contested their forced workplace separation, stating their 17-year shared tenure at the same courthouse never caused public complaints or perceived conflicts of interest. Anti-mafia prosecutor Roberta Panico and judge Roberto Spanó detailed their position in a brief filed with Italy’s Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), which had ordered Panico’s transfer solely due to their marital relationship.
The CSM intervened after Cristina Amalia Ardenghi, President of Brescia’s Second Criminal Section, raised incompatibility concerns during a workload hearing. Spanó countered the transfer by switching from criminal to civil law—a significant career shift given his ongoing role in the high-profile Piazza della Loggia massacre trial.
Spanó and Panico cited statistics showing only 3 out of 1,830 cases (including one single-judge case) moved between sections due to alleged conflicts since 2018. They emphasized their transparency: “We have always acted openly, concealing nothing. We disclosed our relationship immediately upon its start. We have never been recused—neither for our marriage nor other reasons. There has never been any interference in our respective professional duties.”