catalonia

The judges ruled it was unconstitutional and infringed on the government's responsibility to preserve Spain's cultural patrimony. Catalan lawmakers approved the ban in 2010, citing animal cruelty.

For the first time, one of Spain's major political parties that's not in Catalonia is calling for a vote on whether the region should secede from the country.

On Nov. 9, the Catalan regional parliament approved a plan to split from Spain within 18 months. The country's highest court has now ruled that secession would be unconstitutional.

Madrid argues that the move is symbolic and won't change a thing. But Catalan lawmakers say their region will be its own country by 2017.

People in the wealthy northeastern region of Spain, many of whom harbor ambitions of independence, cast ballots in a symbolic statement. The majority voted for independence, but turnout wasn't high.

Spain's central government in Madrid had appealed to the court to stop the vote, which had been approved with strong support from Catalonia's parliament and local governments.