The decision handed down on June 17, 2026 by the constitutional judge in the case of Ousmane Sonko’s reinstatement to the national assembly continues to generate conflicting interpretations within Senegal’s legal community. Behind a motivation presented as strictly procedural — the judge’s lack of jurisdiction — some observers perceive a deeper reading, even a subtle shift in constitutional jurisprudence. At the heart of this controversy, Senegal’s constitutional council is being questioned about the consistency of its own trajectory. For several public law analysts, the recent ruling breaks with a more assertive dynamic observed a few years earlier, notably during the institutional sequence of February 2024. A case beyond mere electoral litigation. A critical reading of the June 17, 2026 decision highlights a stark contrast between two key moments of recent constitutional justice. On one side, a phase where the judge assumed an extensive role, positioning itself as regulator of institutional functioning and guarantor of institutional stability. On the other, a recent decision that, according to this analysis, favors a restrictive approach centered on the legal qualification of the contested act. The core of the criticized reasoning…