Last night, I sat down with some friends to celebrate a big win: a constitutional amendment that the Bundestag passed yesterday, and that the Bundesrat approved today. From now on, no government will be able to legally pack the Federal Constitutional Court with loyalists to turn it into an institution that merely rubber stamps their … Read more
Under Tusk’s government, political considerations often overshadowed strict adherence to the law in public media changes. However, public media and the Polish Press Agency showed improvement compared to their propagandist role under the previous administration. The government’s true commitment to meaningful media reform will be tested through its approach to revising legislation and following a … Read more
Gestern saß ich abends mit ein paar Freunden zusammen, um auf die Grundgesetzänderung anzustoßen, die der Bundestag gestern und der Bundesrat heute verabschiedet hat. Künftig wird keine Regierung legal das Bundesverfassungsgericht aufblähen und mit Loyalisten vollstopfen können, um es als Kontrollinstanz über die Rechtmäßigkeit ihres Handelns zu neutralisieren. Das Volkskanzler-Szenario, das ich vor fünf Jahren … Read more
Tug-of-War over Appointments to the Italian Constitutional Court The term of the Italian constitutional judge Silvana Sciarra ended on November 11, 2023. Since then, the Italian Constitutional Court has consisted of only 14 judges instead of the 15 required by Article 135 of the Constitution. On December 21st, the mandates of three other judges will … Read more
The Polish rule of law restoration, following the opposition’s victory in December 2023, centres on the status of ‘neo-judges’ appointed after a 2018 reform under the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which altered judicial appointments in the country. This blog highlights the tension between ‘old judges’ (pre-2018), accusing ‘neo-judges’ of ethical compromise, and the new … Read more
