Germany
All articles tagged with jurisdiction: germany
Administrative Court Procedure Under the VwGO
German administrative court procedure is governed by the Administrative Court Code (Verwaltungsgerichtsordnung, VwGO) of 21 January 1960. The VwGO establishes a comprehensive system of judicial review …
Article 1: Human Dignity as the Supreme Constitutional Value
Article 1 of the Grundgesetz declares that human dignity (Menschenwürde) is inviolable and obliges all state authority to respect and protect it. This provision is the supreme constitutional value of …
Article 79(3): The Eternity Clause Protecting Fundamental Principles
Article 79(3) of the Grundgesetz, commonly known as the eternity clause (Ewigkeitsklausel), prohibits amendments to the Basic Law that would affect the federal structure of Germany, the participation …
Civil Procedure in Germany: ZPO and Civil Litigation
German civil procedure is governed by the Zivilprozessordnung (ZPO), the Code of Civil Procedure, enacted in 1877 and substantially reformed in 2002. The ZPO establishes the rules for civil litigation …
Criminal Procedure in Germany: StPO and Criminal Procedure
German criminal procedure is governed by the Strafprozessordnung (StPO), the Code of Criminal Procedure, enacted in 1877 and extensively amended since. The StPO regulates the conduct of criminal …
German Constitutional Court and the European Arrest Warrant
The German Federal Constitutional Court’s decisions on the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) represent a significant application of fundamental rights review to European criminal justice …
German Legal Terms A-D
A Abstraktionsprinzip — The abstract principle separating the obligatory contract from the real agreement effecting a transfer of property. The validity of the conveyance is independent of the …
German Legal Terms E-H
E Eigentum — Ownership, the most comprehensive right over a thing under German property law, governed by sections 903–1011 BGB. The owner may deal with the thing at their discretion and exclude others …
German Legal Terms I-L
I Identitätskontrolle — Identity review, the power of the Federal Constitutional Court to examine whether EU measures violate German constitutional identity as protected by Article 79(3) GG. The …
German Legal Terms M-Z
M Menschenwürde — Human dignity, the supreme constitutional value of the Grundgesetz, protected absolutely by Article 1 GG and the eternity clause. Human dignity may not be balanced against competing …
Lüth Case (1958): Indirect Effect of Fundamental Rights
The Lüth case (BVerfGE 7, 198) is the most significant decision of the Federal Constitutional Court on the effect of fundamental rights in private law. Decided on 15 January 1958, it established that …
Proportionality as a Constitutional Principle
The principle of proportionality (Verhältnismäßigkeit) is the central doctrinal tool for testing the constitutional justification of state action in German law. It requires that any interference with …
Solange I and II: EU Law and German Constitutional Identity
The Solange decisions of the German Federal Constitutional Court are among the most important constitutional judgments in European Union law. Solange I (1974) and Solange II (1986) established the …
The Abstract Principle (Abstraktionsprinzip) in German Property Law
The abstract principle (Abstraktionsprinzip) is a distinctive feature of German property law. It separates the obligatory contract from the real agreement effecting a transfer of property. This …
The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (German Civil Code)
The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) is the German Civil Code, the primary codification of private law in Germany. It came into force on 1 January 1900 and remains the foundation of German private law, …
The Catalog of Fundamental Rights in the Grundgesetz
The fundamental rights (Grundrechte) of the Grundgesetz are set out in Articles 1 through 19 and supplemented by rights recognised in other provisions. These rights bind all branches of state …
The Concept of the Rechtsstaat (Constitutional State)
The Rechtsstaat principle is a foundational element of the German constitutional order. Article 20(1) of the Grundgesetz declares the Federal Republic to be a constitutional state (Rechtsstaat). The …
The Constitutional Complaint (Verfassungsbeschwerde) Procedure
The constitutional complaint (Verfassungsbeschwerde) is the central remedy for the protection of fundamental rights in the German legal order. Governed by Article 93(1)(4a) of the Grundgesetz and …
The European Arrest Warrant Before the Federal Constitutional Court
The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) decisions of the German Federal Constitutional Court represent a significant chapter in the development of constitutional limits on European criminal justice …
The Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz (Courts Constitution Act)
The Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz (GVG) is the German Courts Constitution Act, enacted in 1877 alongside the Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO). It establishes the …
The German Civil Law System and the BGB
Germany belongs to the civil law tradition, a legal system derived from Roman law and characterised by comprehensive codification. The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB), the German Civil Code, is the …
The Grundgesetz: Structure, Principles, and History
The Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany) is the constitution of Germany. Enacted on 23 May 1949, it was originally conceived as a provisional …
The Solange Decisions: German Constitutional Identity and EU Law
The Solange decisions of the German Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) are foundational judgments in the constitutional architecture of the European Union. Solange I (1974, …
The Strafgesetzbuch (German Criminal Code)
The Strafgesetzbuch (StGB) is the German Criminal Code. Enacted originally in 1871 for the German Empire, it has been substantially reformed and modernised while retaining its fundamental structure. …
The Verfassungsbeschwerde: Constitutional Complaint Procedure
The constitutional complaint (Verfassungsbeschwerde) is the most important remedy before the Federal Constitutional Court. Article 93(1)(4a) of the Grundgesetz and sections 90–95 of the Federal …