The Questionable Concept of Protective Weapons
On 20 May 2025, the European Court of Human Rights handed down a landmark ruling in Russ v. Germany, finding that penalising a protester for wearing a makeshift visor breached his freedom of assembly. With its clear rejection of the German courts’ blanket approach, Strasbourg echoes long-standing constitutional concerns in German legal scholarship over the criminalisation of defensive gear at protests. Beyond Germany, the judgment affirms the Court’s role in shielding democratic participation across Europe.
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Zurückweisungen vor Gericht
Das Verwaltungsgericht Berlin hat mit Beschluss vom 2.6.2025 im Eilverfahren entschieden, dass drei Asylsuchenden der Grenzübertritt nach Deutschland zu gestatten ist, um im Anschluss ein Dublin-Verfahren durchzuführen. Der Beschluss bestätigt die herrschende Auffassung in der Wissenschaft: Zurückweisungen an der Grenze sind europarechtswidrig. Auch eine Notlage wurde nicht substanziell begründet. An der jetzigen Praxis festzuhalten ist daher inakzeptabel.
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Trump’s Threat to Nonprofits
The administration of President Trump is threatening nonprofits with the loss of tax-exempt status in an attempt to force them to conform their activities to policies favored by that administration. The threats are based on shaky legal grounds, and nonprofits have both constitutional and statutory bases for countering them. Nevertheless, these threats are significant, especially when combined with the administration’s efforts to cut government funding for many programs operated by nonprofits. And at the same time, the U.S. Congress is considering reducing the benefits of tax-exempt status in many ways, primarily to help pay for tax cuts benefitting wealthy individuals and corporations.
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Slovakia’s Electoral Reform at a Crossroads
On May 21st and 22nd 2025, Prime Minister Robert Fico and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok presented a series of proposals for substantial changes to Slovakia’s electoral system. The opposition swiftly criticized the plans as a threat to democratic governance. While the proposals differ in the severity of their constitutional and political implications, the most troubling is the significant increase in electoral deposits, which risks entrenching structural barriers to participation. In the context of Fico’s recent public rejection of liberal democracy and praise for one-party regimes, these reforms warrant close scrutiny – if not alarm.
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Assoziierungsabkommen und Völkerrechtsverstöße
Am 20. Mai 2025 haben 17 der 27 Außenminister der EU-Mitgliedstaaten dafür gestimmt, das Assoziierungsabkommen mit Israel durch die EU-Kommission aufgrund der Vorgänge in Gaza überprüfen oder auszusetzen zu lassen. Bereits vorher gab es vergleichbare Äußerungen des ehemaligen Hohen Vertreters für die Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik. Diese Situationen werfen erneut die Frage auf, ob und wie die EU auf Rechtsverletzungen von Vertragspartnern zu reagieren hat. Auch wenn der Union diesbezüglich ein weiter Spielraum zukommt: untätig bleiben darf sie bei schweren Völkerrechtsverstößen nicht.
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A Tarnished Institution from Its Start
June 1st was a historical day for Mexico. The Mexican people – or, more precisely, around 13% of the electorate – went to the ballots to democratically elect their judges for the first time. The newly elected 2681 public officials, which will be announced in the following weeks, will serve in the local and federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, and solve all types of disputes. While MORENA promises that the amendment will grant Mexico a reinvigorated judicial branch, it is instead getting a newly elected judiciary whose legitimacy has been tarnished from its very start.
Continue reading >>CURRENT DEBATES
GEAS-Reform: Halbzeit bis zur Anwendung
Acht Jahre wurde verhandelt, bis sich EU und Mitgliedsstaaten im Mai 2024 durch die Verabschiedung im Parlament auf eine Reform des Gemeinsamen Europäischen Asylsystems (GEAS) einigen konnten. Die Erwartungen sind immens. Dieses Symposium nimmt die Halbzeit bis zur Anwendung im Sommer 2026 zum Anlass, um einen genaueren Blick auf die Rechtsakte und deren Umsetzung zu werfen. Was ändert sich konkret? Wo gibt es Fortschritte? Und wo gibt es Lücken?
Read all articles >>Ongoing Controversies over Methods in EU Law – Towards a Reflexive Turn
The ongoing controversies over methods in EU law reflect a broader rethinking of the discipline, influenced by multiple crises in the European Union. Scholars are questioning traditional conceptions of EU law as a law of integration and its disconnection from European societies. The rise of critical approaches and empirical methods, alongside interdisciplinary perspectives, challenges doctrinal and functionalist interpretations. This shift, often referred to as a methodological turn, does not imply dominance over classical approaches but calls for a “reflexive turn.” Scholars are urged to reflect on their methods and the role of EU law in the production of legal knowledge, fostering greater awareness of historical and contemporary debates in the field.
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Volume 7,Issue 1
April 2025
JUS COGENS
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C. CORRADETTI, G. DAMELE
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Machiavelli’s State and its Later Reception
GÜRKAN ÇAPAR
OUR LATEST PUBLICATION
Erik Tuchtfeld, Isabella Risini & Jakob Gašperin Wischhoff (eds.)
Eyes Everywhere: Surveillance and Data Retention under the EU Charter
In La Quadrature Du Net II, the CJEU significantly lowered standards for mass data retention under the EU Charter, prioritizing security over privacy. This edited volume brings together European and international scholars and practitioners to explore how this shift may affect EU citizens’ protection of fundamental rights and substantially redefine the surveillance and data retention framework for public and private agents.
Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Grant Agreement No. 101143236.
PROJECTS
VB Security and Crime
In cooperation with:
VB Security and Crime is a cooperation of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL) and the Verfassungsblog in the areas of public security law and criminal law. The MPI-CSL Institute is a member of the Max Planck Law network.
Das Justiz-Projekt
Weltweit gerät die unabhängige und unparteiische Justiz unter den Druck des autoritären Populismus.
Wie verwundbar ist die rechtsprechende Gewalt in Deutschland – im Bund und in den Ländern?
VB Security and Crime
In cooperation with:
VB Security and Crime is a cooperation of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL) and the Verfassungsblog in the areas of public security law and criminal law. The MPI-CSL Institute is a member of the Max Planck Law network.
EDITORIAL
„Auch deutsche Beamte könnten sich strafbar gemacht haben“
Fünf Fragen an Kai Ambos
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