Aleksandra Gliszczy?ska, Wojciech Koz?owski

Calling Murders by Their Names as Criminal Offence – a Risk of Statutory Negationism in Poland

On the eve of the Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27th of January, the Polish Sejm approved a law on the defamation of the Polish State and Nation, causing extremely harsh reactions from Israel, Holocaust survivors and international organizations. While the attempt to ban the use of the word "Polish concentration camp" seems fully justified, the scope of the law goes way beyond that and is a threat to the freedom of speech and academic research. Continue reading >>

Bianca Selejan-Gutan

Failing to Struggle or Struggling to Fail? On the New Judiciary Legislation Changes in Romania

Like never before in the last 28 years in Romania, huge protests have started against the ‘assault against the judicial independence’. Awareness has been raised as regards the importance of a truly independent judiciary and the disastrous effects of political corruption on the very existence of a liberal democracy. Continue reading >>

Eike Michael Frenzel

Zur Freiheit in der Freiheitsentziehung

Der Zweite Senat des Bundesverfassungsgerichts verhandelt zwei Tage über die körperlichen Fixierung von Personen im Rahmen der öffentlich-rechtlichen Unterbringung. Eine Verfassungsbeschwerde betrifft die Fixierung in einer bayerischen Psychiatrie und die Verweigerung von Schadensersatz und Schmerzensgeld für die erlittenen Verletzungen. Die andere Verfassungsbeschwerde gilt der Fixierung eines Untergebrachten in einer psychiatrischen Einrichtung in Baden-Württemberg. Continue reading >>

Drama or Serenity? Upcoming Judicial Appointments at the Slovak Constitutional Court

2018 is shaping up to be one of the most important years in the history of the Slovak Constitutional Court (SCC). Nine of the currently sitting 13 judges will see their non-renewable terms expire in February 2019. The new appointments have the potential to be shrouded in drama, as they will take place against the background of a constitutional and political power struggle over SCC appointments between the President and the government, as well as broader judicial malaise in the country. Continue reading >>

Tolga ?irin

Is the Turkish Constitutional Complaint System on the Verge of a Crisis?

Last week, the Turkish Constitutional Court delivered two decisions on the constitutional complaints of two journalists, finding their detention to be unconstitutional. The Courts of Assize declared the decisions as void because of “usurpation of competence” and refused to enact them. A constitutional crisis seems to be deepening - at least in the short term. Continue reading >>

Adam Bodnar

Free Men and Genuine Judges will Remember about Free Courts

The story of Judge Stanisław Zabłocki of the Supreme Court, told by Ombudsman Adam Bodnar – a cenotaph to judicial indepenence in the Republic of Poland. Continue reading >>

Govind Manoharan

Sunshine through the Rain: New Hope for Decriminalization of Gay Sex in India?

Gay sex is still a criminal act according to the Indian Penal Act. In 2013, the Supreme Court had quashed a judgment by a Delhi Court to decriminalise consensual gay sex. Now, there are signs that the Supreme Court might reconsider. Continue reading >>

Regime Shopping unter dem Schutz des Europarechts: Das Polbud-Urteil des Euro­päischen Gerichts­hofs

Unternehmen können sich aus mitbestimmten Rechtsformen unter dem Schutz des Europarechts friktionsfrei „hinausverlagern“. Dafür sorgt der EuGH mit seinem Urteil im Fall Polbud. Die dort vorgenommene Auslegung der Niederlassungsfreiheit kann man nur als verstörend bezeichnen, und die potenziellen Auswirkungen auf die Arbeitnehmermitbestimmung als verheerend. Continue reading >>

Will Legalism be the End of Constitutionalism in Turkey?

On 11 January 2018, Turkish constitutionalism entered a new phase of decay. This phase was not triggered by criticism of its judgments by the government nor by the retreat of constitutional protections by the Turkish Constitutional Court (TCC) nor by constitutional court packing as seen in Hungary or Poland. Instead, first instance courts became the newest actors to challenge the authority of the country’s constitution and how it is interpreted by the TCC. The new rebels against Turkish constitutionalism are ordinary judges. Continue reading >>

Benedikt Behlert

Aussetzung des Familiennachzugs – Ist es dem Völkerrecht wirklich so egal?

Union, FDP und AfD wollen den Familiennachzug für subsidiär schutzbedürftige Geflüchtete weiterhin aussetzen. Im Rahmen der Debatte im Bundestag dazu wurden die Abgeordneten, welche sich für die Verlängerung ausgesprochen haben, nicht müde zu betonen, dass es keinerlei völkerrechtliche Verpflichtung zum Familiennachzug für subsidiär Schutzberechtigte gebe. Diese Aussagen machen stutzig: Kann es wirklich sein, dass die Bundesrepublik Deutschland einer Fülle von menschenrechtlichen Verträgen und Regelungen unterworfen ist und sich keine davon zum Familiennachzug verhält? Continue reading >>

Gabriele Buchholtz

Streikrecht für Staatsdiener? – Spagat am Bundesverfassungs­gericht

Inoffiziell heißt es schon lange, dass das Streikverbot für Beamte überholungsbedürftig sei. Nun hat das Bundesverfassungsgericht die Gelegenheit, etwas daran zu ändern. Aber auch dann, wenn sich das Bundesverfassungsgericht gegen das Beamtenstreikverbot entscheidet, ist eines deutlich geworden. Europarechtliche Vorgaben lassen sich nicht ohne weiteres ignorieren, auch nicht in Karlsruhe. Continue reading >>

30 days, six months… forever? Border control and the French Council of State

For Christmas 2017, the French Council of State – the Supreme Court for administrative matters in France – gave a nasty present to those attached to the free movement of persons in the Schengen area. In a ruling issued on 28 December (see here, in French), it upheld the decision of the French Government to reintroduce, for the ninth time in a row, identity control at its “internal” borders, i.e. borders with other Schengen countries – even though checks at internal borders are not, in fact, systematically performed. This decision, issued without even bringing the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union for a preliminary ruling, sets aside, probably unlawfully, the time limit set by the Schengen Borders Code. Continue reading >>

Thomas Hochmann

Is the Crime in the Eye of the Beholder?

The French Constitutional Council has, for the second time, struck down a law that prohibits the usual consultation of terrorist websites. There is a higher abstract risk associated to the act of publishing a message than in the isolated act of reading it. Focusing on the prevention of the harm likely to be inflicted by the reader of the websites might not be the only way to deal with this statute, though. Continue reading >>

Maciej Taborowski

The Commission takes a step back in the fight for the Rule of Law

The European Commission has filed a complaint against Poland with the Court of Justice of the European Union based on Article 258 TFEU, in connection with the Polish Act on the Common Courts System. Fines may be charged on Poland as a result of the case, but the Commission has probably quietly withdrawn some of its charges, apparently opting for the somewhat modified “Hungarian scenario”. The impact of this new approach on the reversibility of the changes introduced to the Polish judiciary will be very limited. Continue reading >>