{
  "id": 10353989,
  "title": "Jubiläum in Karlsruhe: Unerschrockene Institution? Bundesverfassungsgericht wird 75",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/jubilaum-in-karlsruhe-unerschrockene-institution",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-28T03:30:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/jubilaeum-in-karlsruhe-unerschrockene-institution-bundesverfassungsgericht-wird-75/100257814.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Seventy-five years since its establishment, the Federal Constitutional Court faces challenging tasks. The fiercely contested judge elections last year demonstrated how much the court and its composition are politicized. Public trust in the court is declining, while the number of cases it must handle remains high. At the celebration of its jubilee, the question arises as to how the court can withstand an increasingly hostile political climate. Many people in Germany believe that the pressure on Karlsruhe will grow. A representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) found that half of the respondents (50 percent) believe that politics will attempt to exert more influence on the Federal Constitutional Court in the coming years. Only 3 percent thought such attempts would diminish; 27 percent said nothing would change; 19 percent gave no answer. The Federal Constitutional Court remains undeterred. \"The court has proven over the past 75 years that it decides in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, regardless of the party color of a government, a parliament, an applicant, or a complainant,\" says President Stephan Harbarth in a dpa interview. Anyone who seeks to exert political influence on the court will \"receive an answer from Karlsruhe.\" \"Trust in the constitution\" Since the court's solemn inauguration on September 28, 1951, Karlsruhe has seen changes: the building, the court dress, the gender ratio in the judiciary. Above all, it has acquired a reputation as a \"remarkable, unafraid institution of the constitutional state, committed entirely to the law\" compared to the situation two decades ago. The court's reputation as a guardian of the constitution is reflected in the results of the YouGov survey: two-thirds (66 percent) of the 2,161 eligible voters surveyed expressed confidence in the Federal Constitutional Court, a relatively high value compared to other constitutional bodies. Only 29 percent had confidence in the federal government, 38 percent in the Bundestag, and 47 percent in the Bundesrat. The free democratic rule of law is threatened, but trust in the Federal Constitutional Court is also declining. Harbarth believes this is not a Karlsruhe-specific problem: \"We live in a time when the free democratic rule of law is under pressure in many parts of the world because people wonder if it is really capable of handling its major future tasks.\" This uncertainty affects all state institutions. The court's image suffers most among voters affiliated with the AfD. Only one-third (34 percent) of AfD voters trusted the court in the YouGov survey, while 72 percent of all respondents believed the court makes decisions independently without instructions from state bodies. While 67 percent of respondents deemed the court impartial, 46 percent of AfD voters disagreed. Politicized opinion and constitutional law separate President Harbarth emphasizes the impartiality of the court. Members were able to distinguish carefully between political conviction and constitutional mandate. \"We are only on the side of the Basic Law,\" Vizepräsidentin Ann-Katrin Kaufhold also emphasizes. When the Federal Constitutional Court began work in 1951, the Basic Law, which it was to ensure compliance with, had already been in force for more than two years. The constitution had assigned the new court more powers than the State Court of the Weimar Republic had ever had - a lesson learned from the Third Reich. However, politics had been struggling with the details of court organization and judge elections. In April 1951, the Federal Constitutional Court Act came into force, five months before the 23 judges and one judge began their work. Today, the court seems confident that it is prepared for the challenges of the coming years. In October, the First Senate will handle two long-awaited proceedings on inheritance tax. In the coming months, rulings on the broadcasting levy and Bavaria's controversial police law could be delivered. And then there is still the possible AfD prohibition procedure, which always hangs over the Karlsruhe judges. Vizepräsidentin Kaufhold, who will handle the second senate, remains calm on this point: \"If the petitioners lodge a prohibition request, we will examine it according to the provisions of the Basic Law. And if not, we will not.\"",
  "summary": "In politisch stürmischen Zeiten feiert das Bundesverfassungsgericht sein 75-jähriges Bestehen. Bleibt das Gericht der freiheitlich-demokratische Fels in der Brandung?",
  "key_points": [
    "Federal Constitutional Court celebrates 75th anniversary",
    "50% of Germans believe politics will exert more influence on court",
    "Court remains undeterred, decides based on Constitution"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Federal Constitutional Court's 75th anniversary celebration comes as public trust in the institution is declining, amid concerns that politics will try to exert more influence, threatening its independence.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}