70 YEARS GERMAN BASIC LAW-THE GERMAN CONSTITUTION AND ITS COURT

The German Basic Law – the Constitution of the Federal. Republic of Germany – has been in force for 70 years now and it is the foundation of democratic statehood in Germany. The Basic Law’s central core is the principle of the rule of law as expressed by the broader German concept of the “Rechtsstaatsprinzip”. The protection of fundamental individual rights is one important cornerstone of this “Rechtsstaatsprinzip”. As guardian of the Basic Law, the Federal Constitutional Court has shaped these rights through interpretation by a large body of case law. Taking note of the growing interest among scholars not only in continental Europe but more so in the Common Law world, an extensive English translation of that jurisprudence is therefore very timely. This volume features 68 cases in regard to the basic rights. A general introduction to the Basic Law and the doctrine of fundamental rights strives to provide some contextual background to enable readers to better understand the comprehensive jurisprudence. In addition, there are specific annotations to each decision or a set of decisions with background information on the individual case. The last chapter suggests additional material in English for further research.