„Das ist gespenstisches Verfassungsrecht“
Fünf Fragen an Florian Meinel
Thema: Verfassungstheorie & Methodik
Verfassungsinterpretationstheorie, verfassungsrechtliche Methodik, theoretische Grundlagen der Verfassungsanalyse und Verfassungsphilosophie. Umfasst Originalismus, dynamische Verfassungsauslegung, Verfassungskonstruktion und methodische Ansätze der Verfassungsinterpretation. Auf spezifisch verfassungsrechtliche Themen fokussiert, allgemeine akademische Themen sind nun unter Wissenschaft und Recht kategorisiert.
Die undemokratische Rede von der Volkssouveränität
Der Einwurf, dass eine restriktive Asyl- und Migrationpolitik abwägungsfeste Menschenrechte verletzt, hat seine Anziehungskraft schon länger verloren. Vielmehr wird ihm nationale Souveränität entgegengehalten, um Rechtsbrüche politisch zu rechtfertigen. Hier bedarf es allerdings einer Gesamtschau des Zusammenspiels von rechtlicher, politischer und moralischer Argumentation. Insbesondere soll in diskurstheoretischer Lesart die These verteidigt werden, dass die demokratische Ausübung von Volkssouveränität mit der Achtung der Menschenrechte verbunden ist.
Transgender Rights at a Crossroads in the United States
In his first month in office, US President Donald Trump has issued a series of sweeping executive orders targeting transgender rights. These orders build on political terrain that is now exceedingly hostile to transgender rights. In this post, I briefly examine the landscape for transgender rights in the United States, analyze what President Trump’s executive orders on transgender rights aim to do, and then discuss the stakes of United States v. Skrmetti, the pending Supreme Court case that will likely set out the framework that federal courts will use in adjudicating transgender rights cases under the Trump administration and beyond.
Betreutes Regieren
Auf einem viertätigen Symposium "Demokratie in Zeiten der Krise" diskutierten in Elmau der Präsident des Bundesverfassungsgerichts Stephan Harbarth und Bundeskanzleramtsminister Wolfgang Schmidt unter anderem über den Umgang der Politik mit verfassungsrechtlicher Ungewissheit und Schmidts Vorschlag, das Bundesverfassungsgericht wieder als Gutachter in diffizilen Verfassungsfragen einzusetzen. Eine auf den ersten Blick sympathisch klingende Idee, die gleichwohl mit Vorsicht zu genießen ist, drohen doch Politisierung und falsch verstandene Gewaltenverschränkung.
Carte Blanche for Judicial Appointments?
In the recent Valančius judgment, the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union (Court of Justice or ECJ), ruled on Union law requirements for the judicial appointment procedure to the EU General Court. Having previously clarified the Union law requirements for the selection procedures of national judges, the Valančius case at first sight confirms the applicability of these requirements to the selection procedure of EU General Court judges. However, a closer look reveals that the judgment risks effectively giving carte blanche for Member States to design the national stage of the appointment procedure regarding EU General Court judges.
The US Supreme Court and Plutocracy
Populist authoritarianism is a global phenomenon. However, the US is the only so-called consolidated democracy where its ascent has been eased by the systematic dismantling of legal limits on campaign donations. US elections are now not only the world’s most costly, but they are also directly subject to the inordinate influence of wealthy individuals and corporations. The Supreme Court of the United States’ 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling has paved the way for the emergence of so-called “super” PACS (political action committees) that, while formally barred from coordinating with candidates or parties, can accept unlimited corporate contributions.
Trump and the Folklore of Capitalism
How can we make sense of the return of Donald Trump, who again convinced enough US voters of his populist bonafides? Populist authoritarianism has made inroads around the world. Only Trump’s version, however, probably brings together so much wealth and power, with super-rich business executives now at the helm. Here I tap a brilliant but neglected book, The Folklore of Capitalism (1937), by the legal scholar and New Deal trustbuster, Thurman Arnold (1891-1961), to understand this remarkable development. Folklore of Capitalism helps explain Trump’s wide appeal, despite the electorate’s disagreements with many of his policy preferences.
On Peru’s Constitutional Crisis
Two hundred years after gaining independence, Peru finds itself in a state of political instability. Over the past six years, the country has had six different presidents — largely due to a persistent power struggle between the Legislative and Executive branches. The ongoing turmoil indicates that Peru finds itself in a constitutional crisis– a crisis that encompasses both the constitutional text, tainted by its authoritarian history, and the political constitution, understood as the actual form of government.
Austria’s Populist Turn
With the elections in September 2024, the populist Freedom Party (FPÖ) became the strongest party in Austria for the first time. In January 2025, hopes of averting populism quickly faded when Austria’s Federal President Alexander van der Bellen was left with no choice other than giving the FPÖ a mandate to form a government. In this context, two aspects stand out: the role of constitutional conventions in recent months and the political change in the Bundesländer (states).
Was man tun kann
Das Jahresend-Editorial 2024
