Readings from the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany

Justice Dr. Suzanne Baer

April 2012
I. General Introduction
a. Dieter Grimm, The Basic Law at 60: Identity and Change, 11 GERMAN L. REV. 1, 1-7 (2010)

II. Judicial Enforcement of Social and Economic Rights

a. 1 BvL 1/09: Standard benefits paid according to the Second Book of the Code of the
Social Law (Hartz IV legislation)

III. Gender and Sexuality

a. Transsexuals Case I, 49 BVerfGE 286 (1978) in Dorsen, Rosenfeld, et al, COMPARATIVE
CONSTITUTIONALISM (2d ed.), p. 610
b. 1 BvR 3295/07: Prerequisites for the statutory recognition of transsexuals according to
Sect. 8.1 nos. 3 and 4 of the Transsexuals Act are unconstitutional
c. 1 BvR 121/09: Unequal treatment of marriages and registered civil partnerships
concerning survivors pensions under an occupational pension scheme (VBL)
unconstitutional
d. 1 BvR 611/07: Unequal Treatment of Marriage and Registered Civil Partnerships in Gift
and Inheritance Tax Act Unconstitutional

IV. Judicial restraints on police power

a. 1 BvR 357/05: Authorization to Shoot down aircraft in the Aviation Security Act void
b. 1 BvR 256/08: Data retention Unconstitutional in its present form
c. Katja de Vries, et al, The German Constitutional Court Judgment on Data Retention:
Proportionality Overrides Unlimited Surveillance (Doesnt It?)

V. National Constitutional Courts and Multilevel Constitutionalism

a. Solange I (1974) & II (1986) (challenging transfer of legislative power over economic life
to EU as unconstitutional erosion of democratic principle) in Dorsen, Rosenfeld, et al,
COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONALISM (2d ed.)
b. Maastrich Treaty Case, 89 BVerfGE 155 (1993) in Dorsen, Rosenfeld, et al, COMPARATIVE
CONSTITUTIONALISM (2d ed.), p. 90-93
c. Lisbon Treaty Case, 2 be 5/08 (2009) in Dorsen, Rosenfeld, et al, COMPARATIVE
CONSTITUTIONALISM (2d ed.), p. 95-110
d. 2 BvR 987/10: Constitutional Complaints lodge against aid measures for Greece and
against the euro rescue package unsuccessful No violation of the Bundestags budget
autonomy