Karlsruhe

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Christoph Schönberger
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Federal Republic ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Democratic Culture ◽  
System P ◽  
Federal Constitutional ◽  
Eventual Stability

This chapter charts the Federal Constitutional Court’s historical development, with a nuanced attention to the motley preconditions—and the irreducible contingency—of its remarkable rise. It begins with the rise of the Court, which adroitly used the opportunities offered by the uncharted situation of postwar West Germany. Especially by way of its extensive human rights jurisprudence, the Court worked toward a fundamental liberalization of the German legal system and shook up the traditional judiciary. The Federal Constitutional Court thus became the midwife of the second German democracy. However, owing to its successes and the eventual stability and prosperity of the Federal Republic, which was now a liberal society with a solidified democratic culture, the country came to depend less and less on the Court and its initiatives. The Court thus became a victim of its own success. Other factors involved in the Court’s fading importance are the loss of charisma through routinization and the increasing Europeanization and internationalization of the German legal system.

scholarly journals The peculiarities of enforcement of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights: experience of Germany relevant to Russia

2019 ◽  
pp. 24-30
Author(s):  
Alena Aleksandrovna Gavrilenko
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Federal Republic ◽  
West Germany ◽  
European Convention ◽  
German Language ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
General Law ◽  
European Court ◽  
The Government

This article is dedicated to the problem of enforcement of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the Federal Republic of Germany. The author explores the experience of West Germany in settling the conflict between the national law and international treaty – the European Convention on Human Rights. Special attention is given to the analysis of positions of the Federal Republic of Germany related to the decisions of ECHR made in regard to other countries and constituting precedents in German courts, as well as mandatory for considering in the work of government bodies. The scientific novelty is defined by focusing on the previously uncovered by the Russian legal experts combination of relevant aspects of the enforcement of decisions by ECHR in Western Germany through the prism of the realities of Russian law. Being fluent in German language, the author used the original laws and regulations of the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as scientific literature in German language. The conclusion is made that by imparting the status of general law upon the European Convention on Human Rights, Germany still relies on priority of the norms of international law over the national legislation and compliance with the decisions of ECHR. The author recommends to incorporate the German practice, according to which for preventing the instances of violating Convention in the future, the government bodies of the Federal Republic of Germany must consider the directive of ECHR not only with regards to Germany, but also foreign countries, as the practice of the European Court of Human Rights accordant to the position of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany constituents has precedential value.

scholarly journals “OBJEKTFORMEL” – EVENTUAL ACTS OF DAMAGE TO HUMAN DIGNITY

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
Izabela Bratiloveanu
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Constitutional Law ◽  
Categorical Imperative ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
European Court ◽  
Federal Constitutional ◽  
German Constitutional Law ◽  
First Time

 The Object formula („Objecktformel”) has been designed and developed in the mid century XX by Günter Dürig, starting from the second formula of Kant's categorical imperative. The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany took the formula and applied it for the first time in the case of the telephone conversations of December 15, 1970. The Object formula („Objecktformel”) was taken from the German constitutional law and applied in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Pan-European General Principles of Good Administration in the Italian Legal System

2020 ◽  
pp. 182-209
Author(s):  
Marco Macchia ◽  
Claudia Figliolia
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Administrative Law ◽  
European Court ◽  
System P ◽  
Low Degree ◽  
Court Proceedings ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Constitutional Jurisprudence

This chapter discusses the impact of the pan-European principles of good administration on Italian administrative law. The chapter presents the main finding that the Italian legal system is generally in line with these principles. The case law of the European Court of Human Rights has played a particularly strong role in national administrative law (especially in the context of administrative sanctioning and lengthy court proceedings). At the same time, some limitations to full reception of the said principles remain, the most notable of them being the resistance of constitutional jurisprudence to give ‘generalized’ execution to the pan-European principles and the low degree of recognition of the importance of the Council of Europe’s recommendations and conventions (other than the ECHR) for the development of these principles in national administrative law. The chapter concludes by stressing the (sometimes) contradictory nature of Italy’s acknowledgement of the pan-European scope of these principles.

A Christian in the Office of Constitutional Judge [1999]

2020 ◽  
pp. 280-287
Author(s):  
Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde ◽  
Mirjam Künkler ◽  
Tine Stein
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Central Committee ◽  
The State ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Servant ◽  
The World ◽  
Federal Constitutional ◽  
The Church

In this personal reflection, Böckenförde portrays the dilemma he faced during his tenure as a judge on Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court: trying to bridge his Christian Catholic spirituality with his work as a high-ranking public servant in a secular state. He describes his struggle with the Catholic teachings prior to Second Vaticanum, which at that time still defined the state as ideally Catholic and demanded every believer in public office to act as a vanguard for Christian natural law. But by committing himself to the public good, Böckenförde sidestepped the requirement of the Catholic Church and fully embraced the democratic, religiously neutral political order. Böckenförde justified his position (deviant in the eyes of the Church) by insisting on the strict neutrality demanded from a judge. He pointed to the so-called Church Compromise of the Weimar Republic (Weimarer Kirchenkompromiss), which established the neutrality of the state with regard to religion, and which was re-adopted in West Germany after 1949. He also relinquished his consultative role in the Central Committee of Catholics once he was nominated to the Constitutional Court. Even in cases affecting abortion, he only dealt with the issues at hand as a judge, not as a Catholic. In his view, Christian spirituality can manifest itself in faithfulness to one's office and an integrity that is open to the world.

1. The English legal system

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
James Marson ◽  
Katy Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Dispute Resolution ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
System P ◽  
Human Rights Act ◽  
Human Rights Act 1998 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Commercial Relationships ◽  
The Eu

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the English legal system. It provides an overview of the courts in the civil and criminal divisions, and their hierarchy. It discusses the source of law, delegated legislation, the impact of membership in the EU and the Human Rights Act 1998, and alternative forms of dispute resolution (ADR). The implications of ADR are increasingly important in civil disputes and essential between businesses where traditional court action can destroy commercial relationships.

Much Ado About Human Rights: The Federal Constitutional Court Confronts the European Court of Human Rights

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 869-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Hartwig
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Constitutional Courts ◽  
European Court ◽  
Federal Constitutional ◽  
German Federal Constitutional Court ◽  
German Federal Constitutional ◽  
German Court

On October 14, 2004 the Bundesverfassungsgericht (BVerfG – German Federal Constitutional Court) delivered a judgment which gave rise to vivid reactions in the mass media and to a dispute between the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the German Federal Constitutional Court. In interviews, members of the Strasbourg court spoke about their disappointment in the German Court's unwillingness to implement decisions of the ECtHR while members of the German court referred to the necessity to respect national particularities. Whereas, normally, the ECtHR and the constitutional courts of the Member States of the Council of Europe are fighting side by side for human rights and, therefore, consider themselves as natural allies, this time their decisions, which seem to be incompatible, led to a dispute which attracted as much public interest as a film or theatre premiere.

4 Germany: Balancing Rights and Duties

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kommers Donald P
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Judicial Decision ◽  
Constituent Power ◽  
Judicial Decision Making ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Basic Law ◽  
Positive Rights ◽  
Federal Constitutional

Germany's constitutional charter, adopted in 1949, is entitled the Basic Law. The Basic Law had evolved into one of the world's most admired constitutions, even rivalling that of the United States in influence and prestige around the world. So when the day of unity finally arrived in 1990, East and West Germany merged under the imprint of the Basic Law itself. Today, in both structure and substance, although frequently amended, it remains the constitutional text of reunited Germany. This chapter discusses the constitutive assembly of Germany, constituent power and reunification, general features of the Basic Law, supremacy of the constitution, constitutional structure, amending process, the Federal Constitutional Court, problems of constitutional interpretation, conception of the constitution, negative and positive rights, horizontality of rights, sources of interpretation, approaches to interpretation, the civil law tradition, and style of judicial decision-making.

scholarly journals Globalization and the Law: Deciphering the Message of Transnational Human Rights Litigation

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 1499-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peer Zumbansen
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Basic Law ◽  
European Court ◽  
Federal Constitutional ◽  
The Law ◽  
German Federal Constitutional Court ◽  
German Federal Constitutional

On 14 October 2004, theBundesverfassungsgericht(BVerfG – German Federal Constitutional Court) voided a decision by theOberlandesgericht(Higher Regional Court) Naumburg, finding a violation of the complainant's rights guaranteed by theGrundgesetz(German Basic Law). The Decision directly addresses both the observation and application of case law from the European Court of Human Rights under the Basic Law's “rule of law provision” in Art. 20.III. While there is a myriad of important aspects with regard to this decision, we may limit ourselves at this point to the introductoryaperçucontained in the holdings of the case. One of them reads as follows:Zur Bindung an Gesetz und Recht (Art. 20 Abs. 3 GG) gehört die Berücksichtigung der Gewährleistungen der Konvention zum Schutze der Menschenrechte und Grundfreiheiten und der Entscheidungen des Europäischen Gerichtshofs für Menschenrechte im Rahmen methodisch vertretbarer Gesetzesauslegung. Sowohl die fehlende Auseinandersetzung mit einer Entscheidung des Gerichtshofs als auch deren gegen vorrangiges Recht verstoßende schematische “Vollstreckung” können gegen Grundrechte in Verbindung mit dem Rechtsstaatsprinzip verstoßen

David Currie and German Constitutional Law

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2081-2094
Author(s):  
Peter E. Quint
Keyword(s):  
Federal Republic ◽  
Constitutional Law ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Basic Law ◽  
Federal Constitutional ◽  
German Constitutional Court ◽  
German Constitutional Law ◽  
Constitutional Jurisprudence

Without much doubt, the two great pillars of American scholarship on the German Basic Law and the jurisprudence of the Federal Constitutional Court are (in the order of first appearance) Donald Kommers's monumental casebook, The Constitutional Jurisprudence of the Federal Republic of Germany and David Currie's magisterial treatise, The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. Professor Kommers's comprehensive work was a milestone in a long career that has been very substantially devoted to the study of German constitutional law. In the late 1960s, Kommers spent a research year at the German Constitutional Court and, drawing in part on personal interviews with the justices, he published the first major work in English on that court. Since then, Kommers has produced a steady stream of significant works on German constitutional law.

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