The plenary session of Spain's Constitutional Court has admitted into consideration the appeal of unconstitutionality brought by the Parliament of Catalonia against the application of the measures taken under article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. The court already admitted for consideration on 10th January an appeal from Podemos against the application of the article which suspended Catalan self-government.
Specifically, the Parliament's appeal is against the agreement in the Spanish Senate on 27th October 2017, which includes the measures required by the Spanish government for the application of article 155 of the Constitution, and all subsequent actions taken on the basis of the article.
The court agrees to communicate the action to the Senate, the Congress and the Spanish government, as well as the Catalan government, who will have 15 days to appear and formulate their arguments.
That is, all except the Catalan government, for whom the court has suspended the possibility of presenting arguments. The court says that this is "to avoid a conflict between the defence of the interests of the [Spanish] state and the autonomous community of Catalonia", as it would be the Spanish cabinet who would have to bring arguments against a decision they took themselves as, thanks to article 155, they currently have control over the Catalan government.
This suspension, however, will end once there is a new Catalan government and article 155 is lifted, as the court states clearly: "It will remain suspended for the time in which, in virtue of the measures passed on 27th October [last year], the cabinet exercises the functions and powers which correspond to the government of the autonomous community".
Accepting the appeal into consideration implies no comment on its merits as noted by the communique released by the court.