03 July 2024
Ein König zum Unabhängigkeitstag
Der U.S.-amerikanische Supreme Court hat entschieden, dass offizielle Amtshandlungen von Präsidenten Immunität genießen. Anlass war das Verfahren gegen Donald Trump, der sich wegen seiner Beteiligung am versuchten Aufstand vom 6. Januar 2021 vor einem Gericht verantworten muss. Die Entscheidung ist ein voller Erfolg für Trump und wird nicht nur weitere Strafverfahren beeinflussen, sondern auch über den aktuellen Fall hinaus weitreichende Konsequenzen zeitigen. Der Supreme Court hat den USA in der Woche des 248. Unabhängigkeitstages einen neuen König geschenkt. Continue reading >>
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19 February 2024
Trump’s Trials for Democracy
It is hard to imagine a stable democracy having to confront the legal challenges presented by Donald Trump’s bid for reelection. Courts have found him to be responsible for sexual assault, defamation and fraud, all in relatively quick succession. Taken together with repeated acts of demagogy and cruelty, the various legal proceedings reinforce the sense that Trump simply does not belong within the bounds of legitimate democratic contestation. But the charges against him thus far are civil claims that have no formal bearing on his bid for office. Nor do they seem to affect public opinion as the polarized electoral environment has little intermediate play that might be swayed by scandal, legal condemnation, or even the sense that enough is enough. Continue reading >>09 April 2022
Justice Thomas Will Not Recuse. But Should He?
There is a growing elite and scholarly consensus (at least on the American left) that Justice Clarence Thomas “must immediately recuse himself from any cases relating to the 2020 election and its aftermath.” The demand is extraordinary, and as such, it has captured global attention. The dispute highlights some notable things about the Court, but it is the scandal that really captures attention. So far, calls for recusal have come almost exclusively from the left. Conservatives have dismissed the idea. What to make of it all? Continue reading >>
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15 March 2022
Trump’s Straussian Shyster
Emails now available to US House of Representatives’ investigators suggest that John C. Eastman, the Trump lawyer behind the failed attempt to overturn the presidential election results, knew that his activities violated the US Electoral Count Act. Eastman’s activities shed light on ideological traits of Trumpism that have received little attention from legal scholars. He and other hardcore Trump disciples have relied on a highly selective interpretation of the ideas of Leo Strauss (1899-1973), the German Jewish refugee political thinker, to justify Trump’s authoritarian proclivities. Their ideological brew continues to threaten constitutional government in the United States. Continue reading >>
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29 January 2021
Was man sieht und was nicht
Über Putins Palast, private Verträge und andere Dinge, die man nicht jeden Tag sieht Continue reading >>29 January 2021
Facebook’s Oversight Board Takes on the Curious Case of Donald J. Trump
Facebook announced last week that it would refer the question of its decision to remove Donald Trump from its platforms to the Oversight Board. The case concerning the former President’s account marks a notable departure from the approach through the initial slate of Oversight Board cases announced in December and resolved this month. The decision the Board takes -- which will be binding, Facebook says -- could have major implications for the future of platform governance. But it may also force Facebook to reckon with its past. Continue reading >>
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29 January 2021
Does Twitter trump Trump?
Some of the biggest social media platforms recently decided to suspend the accounts of former US President Donald Trump. Even though such bans are not unprecedented, the fact that it concerned the then-still US President has triggered quite some controversy. But what about the European perspective - would the doctrine of positive obligations under Article 10 ECHR mean that Donald Trump’s right to freedom of expression was violated? Continue reading >>21 January 2021
Zum Glück der Vereinigten Staaten
Joseph Biden ist als neuer Präsident der USA vereidigt und Donald Trump hat das Weiße Haus verlassen. Amerikanische Gerichte wiesen die Klagen seiner Wahlkampagne auf Wahlbetrug als „substanzlos“ ab; Geschäftspartner*innen und Teile der Republikaner wanden sich in den vergangenen Wochen von ihm ab, und im Kongress ist nun – zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte der USA – ein zweites Impeachment Verfahren gegen ihn eröffnet worden. Der amerikanische Rechtsstaat und die Institutionen haben sich bewährt. Ende gut, alles gut also? Ganz so einfach ist es nicht. Continue reading >>
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