Florian Kavermann on this summer’s trip to the Federal Court of Justice and the Federal Constitutional Court
Some 40 Goethe University law students had the opportunity in June 2025 to visit Germany’s highest courts in Karlsruhe and gain insights into legal decision-making processes as well as the everyday work of the judges there. What is usually an abstract subject of lectures, textbooks, and casework became tangible reality for the participants. The excursion was organized by Prof. Dr. Matthias Jahn, Chair of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Business Criminal Law and Legal Theory, in cooperation with the local group of the European Law Students’ Association, ELSA-Frankfurt.
An exciting start at the Federal Court of Justice
Our first stop was the branch office of the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, where, among others, the Second Criminal Panel has its temporary seat due to renovation work carried out in the Grand Ducal Palace, the main seat of the Federal Court of Justice. After passing through security, two research associates welcomed us into a modest courtroom and introduced us to the court’s responsibilities and structure, as well as the two cases to be heard. Both cases concerned drug-related offenses. At issue in the appeals were the confiscation orders imposed by the Regional Court (§§ 73 ff. German Criminal Code). At 9 a.m. precisely, the defense attorneys of the accused and a representative of the Federal Public Prosecutor General entered the courtroom, before the five judges of the Second Criminal Panel finally took their seats. After the presiding judge, Dr. Eva Menges, opened the main hearing, the reporting judge summarized the course of proceedings to date. The representative of the Federal Public Prosecutor General then presented the reasons for the prosecution’s appeal and requested that the case be referred back to the Regional Court. Since the defense made no further submissions and filed no motions, the hearing ended after only a few minutes. The second hearing followed the same pattern, although the attorneys proved to be more argumentative this time (albeit not necessarily with regard to the actual subject of the proceedings). After this hearing also ended, we had the opportunity to ask the judges questions, which we eagerly took advantage of, especially with respect to inquiries on decision-making within the panel as well as the working methods and workload.
Constitutional law up close
We then moved on to the Baumgarten Building, home to the Federal Constitutional Court. After another mandatory security check, we entered the sunlit courtroom familiar from media coverage, where we were welcomed by Prof. Dr. Astrid Wallrabenstein, holder of a Chair of Public Law at Goethe University and since 2020 a judge of the Federal Constitutional Court’s Second Senate. In a relaxed atmosphere, she explained what her work as a constitutional judge entails, what her responsibilities are, and how she views the court’s public perception. The discussion also touched upon how one deals with the great responsibility that comes with being a judge of the Federal Constitutional Court. Finally, she emphasized that not only constitutional judges but judges at all levels bear responsibility for protecting fundamental rights – and that they generally live up to this responsibility. After these fascinating insights, a research associate gave us a tour of other parts of the building and spoke about the – limited but possible – career opportunities as a judicial clerk or research associate at the Federal Constitutional Court.
Insights into the practice of the highest courts
After an anecdote-filled tour of the botanical garden surrounding the Federal Constitutional Court, led by Prof. Dr. Jahn, who himself once served as a research associate there, we returned to Frankfurt full of new impressions and insights. The day trip to Karlsruhe, which offered us rare and impressive glimpses behind the scenes of Germany’s highest courts, will remain long in our memory. The excursion once again demonstrated how much legal studies are enriched when theory from teaching is complemented by insights into practice.
Florian J. Kavermann is President of ELSA Frankfurt
