Top Spanish court won’t hear Catalonia lawsuit against Madrid

Spain’s Constitutional Court says it won't hear a lawsuit filed by Catalonia’s now-defunct government against the emergency measures taken by Spain’s central government against the region’s secession bid. The court said Friday that it couldn’t consider the suit because Catalonia’s regional government had filed it “prematurely,” AP reports. The court said the suit was filed before Spain’s Senate had voted to activate Article 155 of the Constitution, which gives the central government extra powers to re-establish the rule of law in a region. The judges also ruled to strike down three complementary laws passed by Catalonia’s parliament as part of the region’s referendum on secession on October 1.