Articles for category: Regionen

Bullying Universities

David Pozen at Columbia University calls Columbia University’s new agreement with the federal government “regulation by deal.” In regulation by deal, the administration foregoes the process of developing general standards to be enforced by regularized processes, all under the watchful eyes of courts, and instead bargains directly with each institution to be regulated, striking a bespoke arrangement with each. It’s a strategy that uses the power of the government outside the development of general rules and therefore outside the law.   

28. Juli 2025

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International Rulings and the UK–Mauritius Chagos Agreement

On 22 May 2025, following negotiations that began in November 2022 and a joint statement of 3 October 2024 (to learn more, see Sebastian von Massow), the United Kingdom and Mauritius concluded an Agreement, stating that “Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago in its entirety, including Diego Garcia” (Article 1). The Chagos Agreement is not only a diplomatic achievement, but also a “contractual transposition” of the decisions of international courts and tribunals.

27. Juli 2025

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Pullbacks in the Channel

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Last week, negotiations for a new UK–France agreement culminated in the announcement of a 'one in, one out' pilot scheme, under which the UK will return small boat arrivals to France while accepting asylum seekers selected from France who can demonstrate family ties in Britain. The agreement signals a sui generis evolution in European migration control. For the first time, rather than pushing asylum seekers back to third countries to avoid legal responsibilities under EU and international law, an EU Member State is directly preventing departures from its own territory. 

25. Juli 2025

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Auf Kosten des Rechtsstaates

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Erst im Februar 2024 trat § 62d AufenthG in Kraft. Dieser regelte erstmals, dass im Zuge der Anordnung von Abschiebungshaft eine anwaltliche Vertretung verpflichtend ist. Nur knapp 18 Monate später soll er nach dem Willen der Bundesregierung bereits wieder abgeschafft werden. Die Begründung des Gesetzesentwurfes verkennt dabei den Normzweck der ursprünglichen Regelung. Freiheitsrechte und Rechtsstaatlichkeit dürfen nicht dem politischen Ziel schnellerer Abschiebungen untergeordnet werden.

25. Juli 2025

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Weg frei für »Berlin autofrei«

Nach dem Erfolg von „Deutsche Wohnen enteignen“ dürfte Berlin bald über das nächste Volksbegehren abstimmen, das die Stadt lebenswerter machen soll: „Berlin autofrei“ will den individuellen Kfz-Verkehr innerhalb des S-Bahn-Rings weitgehend verbieten. Nachdem die Senatsverwaltung das Volksbegehren zunächst gestoppt hatte, hält der VerfGH Berlin es nun für vollumfänglich zulässig. Der Gerichtshof erkennt an, dass es zwar kein „Grundrecht auf Autofahren“ gibt, doch besondere Mobilitätsbedürfnisse durchaus grundrechtlichen Schutz genießen. Dies hätte er allerdings bruchloser argumentieren können, wenn er die Eingriffsqualität anerkannt hätte.

25. Juli 2025

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What We Lost in the Skies Above Tehran

The damage that Merz and Steinmeier have inflicted on both Germany’s international credibility and the order put in place with the founding of the United Nations will likewise be felt for decades to come. As things stand right now, as far as the jus contra bellum is concerned, there might not be much left to reconstruct when the community of international law scholars meets up in Berlin in September. In that, the realists may find reason to rejoice. They, too, will come to miss it once it’s gone.

24. Juli 2025

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The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change

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“An existential threat” – this is how the International Court of Justice (ICJ) characterized climate change in its long-awaited advisory opinion on the obligations of States with respect to climate change. In the most significant development in international climate law since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the ICJ outlined numerous obligations that could significantly shape the contours of international environmental law and global climate governance.

24. Juli 2025

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Sterbehilfe endlich regeln

Am Dienstag hat das Bundesverfassungsgericht die Verfassungsbeschwerde eines Arztes verworfen: Der Arzt hatte einem psychisch kranken Mann auf dessen Wunsch eine Infusion mit einer tödlich wirkenden Substanz gelegt. Obwohl der Patient den Zugang selbst öffnete, nahm der BGH einen Totschlag in mittelbarer Täterschaft an. Der Fall zeigt einmal mehr, dass der Fragenkreis von Sterbehilfe und Unterstützung beim Suizid dringend einer durchdachten gesetzlichen Regelung bedarf. Anregungen dazu können neue Normierungen der Materie in Frankreich und England geben.

24. Juli 2025

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An Elusive Touchdown with a Political Football

On July 19, Congress voted to revoke funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – something it has not done in the 60 years since its creation. In countries with strong public media traditions, this may seem astonishing: Why would Congress defund NPR and PBS after already having appropriated the money? And what does this mean for the First Amendment? To answer these questions, we must consider the peculiar history of public broadcasting in the United States.

24. Juli 2025

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The Great Recall Movement

Confronted with lawmakers they themselves elected just eighteen months ago, Taiwanese citizens have creatively repurposed the antiquated mechanism of "recall" as a last-resort check on a runaway legislature. Sparked by a year of legislative overreach and erosion of constitutional checks, this unprecedented campaign reflects Taiwan's spirit of civic constitutionalism, and its determination to defend its democratic institutions.

24. Juli 2025

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