Freiheit finden wir doch alle dufte
Linke Buchhandlungen, die sich um einen vom Bundeskulturbeauftragten ausgelobten staatlichen Förderpreis bewerben. Die danach streben, vom deutschen Staat ausgezeichnet zu werden für ihre Verdienste um das Schöne, Wahre und Gute. Richtig linke Buchhandlungen, mind you, die Regale vollgepackt mit den Klassikern revolutionärer Theorie und Praxis, die verletzt und empört darüber sind, dass sie nicht für förderwürdig gehalten werden von der bundesdeutschen Exekutivgewalt. Ist das nicht regelrecht rührend? Was für ein Vertrauensbeweis in die liberale Demokratie ist das denn?
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Everyone Agrees That Freedom is Kind of Swell
Left-wing bookshops applying for an award handed out by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture? Striving to be honoured by the German state for their service to the good, the true and the beautiful? Does the current Commissioner, Wolfram Weimer, now in hot water for his decision to strike those left-wing bookshops off the winners' list, even realise how amazing this is? Truly left-wing bookshops, mind you. Shelves crammed with the classics of revolutionary theory and practice. How much more disarmingly faithful in the virtues of liberal democracy can you be?
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Sexual Citizenship via Free Movement
Yesterday, in the judgment of Shipov, the Court of Justice decided how EU citizenship can shape the recognition of gender identity within the Member States. Yet not through anti-discrimination law, but through the constitutional logic of free movement. The Court of Justice held that EU law precludes national legislation preventing a Union citizen from changing gender-related data in civil-status records in relation to the exercise of free movement. The Court thereby further expands the role of Union citizenship as a vehicle for protecting personal identity and dignity.
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Schlechte Aussichten für Geflüchtete
Reform oder Rückschritt? Mit dem GEAS-Anpassungsgesetz setzt Deutschland die Reform des europäischen Asylsystems um. Doch statt nur europäische Vorgaben umzusetzen, schafft das Gesetz weitreichende neue Möglichkeiten zur Beschränkung der Bewegungsfreiheit und zur Inhaftierung von Schutzsuchenden. Lediglich beim Menschenrechts-Monitoring enthält es eine spürbare Verbesserung.
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From Capacity to Necessity
The tension in the room was almost tangible when the President of the European Commission announced on Friday, 27 February 2026, that the EU-Mercosur Agreement would be applied provisionally. After a week of uncertainty and despite widespread opposition and resistance – in a world that is drifting once again into great power politics – the EU thereby sends a strong signal that it remains committed to multilateralism and continues to be a reliable partner on the global stage. The Commission’s decision is arguably not only legally justified, but also politically imperative.
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Weimerer Verhältnisse
Wolfram Weimer, Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien, hat drei Buchhandlungen wegen „verfassungsschutzrelevanter Erkenntnisse“ von der Liste des Deutschen Buchhandlungspreises streichen lassen. Dieses Vorgehen bedroht, so vernimmt man, die Meinungs- und Kunstfreiheit. Politisch ist diese Sorge nachvollziehbar. Verfassungsrechtlich lässt sie sich nur schwer abbilden. Enge Grenzen zieht das Datenschutzrecht, nicht die Kunstfreiheit. Die Bundesregierung verfügt im Bereich der Kulturförderung über weite Spielräume. Wie Weimer diese ausfüllt, muss er in erster Linie politisch verantworten. Klugheit kann man ihm dabei nicht attestieren.
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New Old Kazakhstan
On 15th March 2026, Kazakhstan will hold a nationwide referendum in which voters will decide whether to adopt a new Constitution proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The proposed Constitution marks a significant departure from the current 1995 one: amendments affect 77 articles, or over 80% of the current Constitution. The official reason for the amendments is to move away from consolidated presidential governance; however, the proposed Constitution might have the opposite effect.
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Testing “Mutual Sincere Cooperation”
On 11 March, the European Parliament voted to accept a revised Framework Agreement governing relations between itself and the European Commission. The reform strengthens Parliament’s role in shaping the Commission’s work programme, monitoring international negotiations, and scrutinising emergency measures. Yet the Council has reacted sharply, objecting to Parliament’s claim to equal treatment with the member states. The episode reveals deeper tensions in the EU’s institutional balance.
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When the Protector Becomes the Prosecutor
On 26 February 2026, the Supreme Court of India, acting on its own motion (suo motu) and without any petitioner before it, issued a remarkable order. It banned a Class 8 social science textbook published by the National Council for Educational Research and Training, directed the physical seizure of all copies in circulation, ordered the removal of the book from every digital platform, threatened its authors with criminal contempt proceedings, and barred classroom instruction based on its contents — all in response to a chapter that described corruption in the judiciary and case backlogs as institutional challenges.
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An Abdication of Legal and Historical Responsibility
There can be little doubt that the US and Israeli attacks on Iran contravene the prohibition on the use of force while Iran’s retaliation goes beyond what would be permissible under the right to self-defence. While the German government has criticised Iran’s violent crackdown on the demonstrations and was quick to denounce its retaliatory attacks across the region, no such condemnation has been forthcoming with respect to the US and Israel. This approach to international law is both hypocritical and an abdication of historical responsibility. It is also strategically short-sighted and dangerous.
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CURRENT DEBATES
Reflexive Globalisation and the Law
In October 2025, a new Centre for Advanced Studies was established at the Humboldt University of Berlin’s Law Faculty. Named “Reflexive Globalisation and the Law: Colonial Legacies and their Implications in the 21st Century” (RefLex), the Centre explores the premise that the globalisation of law and legal discourse has entered a reflexive phase: one in which law and knowledge production about law are less and less one-directional exports from or within the Global North but rather dynamic, multidirectional exchanges that confront colonial legacies, epistemic hierarchies, and enduring asymmetries of power. This blog symposium, co-edited by Philipp Dann, Florian Jeßberger, and Kalika Mehta, aims to present and extend these interactions to a broader, accessible dialogue with a wider community beyond the university setting. Featuring contributions from a range of different disciplines and regions, the symposium serves as a public prelude to its official launch, which can be watched live here.
Read all articles >>Wem gehört die Wissenschaft?
Wem gehört die Wissenschaft – und wem sollte sie gehören? Obwohl Wissen als öffentliches Gut prinzipiell unbegrenzt teilbar ist, wird der Zugang zu wissenschaftlichen Publikationen und Infrastrukturen durch ökonomische und rechtliche Strukturen beschränkt. Zwischen kommerziellen Verlagsmodellen, staatlicher Finanzierung und Community-getragenen Open-Access-Initiativen stellen sich grundlegende Fragen nach Eigentum, Verantwortung und Unabhängigkeit wissenschaftlicher Arbeit. Das Blog-Symposium „Wem gehört die Wissenschaft?“ greift diese Frage auf und beleuchtet Facetten der Organisation von Wissenschaft als Gemeingut, der Eigentums- und Machtverhältnisse im Publikationssystem und der Bedingungen offener und freier Wissensproduktion.
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Volume 7,Issue 2
July 2025
JUS COGENS
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Killing Hitler Word by Word: The Oath as Apocalyptic Lawmaking
GREGOR NOLL
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Adjudicating Climate Protest as a Tool of Modern Republicanism
DMITRII KUZNETSOV
OUR LATEST PUBLICATION
Jakob Gašperin Wischhoff, Till Stadtbäumer (eds.)
In Good Faith: Freedom of Religion under Article 10 of the EU Charter
Freedom of religion, its interaction with the prohibition of discrimination, and the self-determination of churches are embedded in a complex national and European constitutional framework and remain as pertinent and contested as ever. This edited volume examines the latest significant developments from an EU perspective, placing freedom of religion at the centre of analysis and critically assessing its operationalisation and interpretation in light of the EU Charter.
Discover the Open Access digital edition here.
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
Freiheit finden wir doch alle dufte
Linke Buchhandlungen, die sich um einen vom Bundeskulturbeauftragten ausgelobten staatlichen Förderpreis bewerben. Die danach streben, vom deutschen Staat ausgezeichnet zu werden für ihre Verdienste um das Schöne, Wahre und Gute. Richtig linke Buchhandlungen, mind you, die Regale vollgepackt mit den Klassikern revolutionärer Theorie und Praxis, die verletzt und empört darüber sind, dass sie nicht für förderwürdig gehalten werden von der bundesdeutschen Exekutivgewalt. Ist das nicht regelrecht rührend? Was für ein
Continue reading >>Everyone Agrees That Freedom is Kind of Swell
Left-wing bookshops applying for an award handed out by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture? Striving to be honoured by the German state for their service to the good, the true and the beautiful? Does the current Commissioner, Wolfram Weimer, now in hot water for his decision to strike those left-wing bookshops off the winners’ list, even realise how amazing this is? Truly left-wing bookshops, mind you. Shelves crammed with
Continue reading >>