Abstract
Judicial independence has played an important role in building a democratic order in the Federal Republic of Germany since the end of the Third Reich.1 The Basic Law of 1949 (Grundgesetz) with its elaborate rights catalogue was a reaction to the Nazi dictatorship which had used the judiciary to pursue its inhuman policies.2 In order to protect these fundamental rights in the future the new constitution provided for the separation of powers and gave the judiciary an independent supervisory function. Since then judges have been entrusted with the role of defending the Basic Law, including its rights catalogue, against government encroachments.
The author would like to thank David Roth-Isigkeit and Saskia Klatte for their research assistance and help with citations and Dr. Christiane Schmaltz for valuable comments on an earlier draft of this chapter.
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© 2012 Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.
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Seibert-Fohr, A. (2012). Judicial Independence in Germany. In: Seibert-Fohr, A. (eds) Judicial Independence in Transition. Beiträge zum ausländischen öffentlichen Recht und Völkerrecht, vol 233. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28299-7_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28299-7_12
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