Dieter Grimm

Dieter Grimm is one of the foremost scholars of constitutional law, constitutional theory, and European law in Germany and worldwide. His jurisprudential writings have found a large English-language audience in works such as Constitutionalism: Past, Present, and Future and The Constitution of European Democracy. This book is a conversation between Grimm and three scholars of constitutional law - Oliver Lepsius, Christian Waldhoff, and Matthias Rossbach - on his background, his childhood under the Nazi regime and the ruins of post-war Germany, his education in Germany, France, and the United States, his academic achievements, the main subjects of his research, his experience as a judge on a leading constitutional court (especially in the time of pivotal changes in the world after the fall of the Berlin Wall), and his views on actual challenges for law and society. Grimm also speaks about his attitude toward European integration where he is best known for his thesis that one of the biggest but least noticed causes for the lack of democratic legitimacy of the EU is its 'over-constitutionalization'. The book is an invaluable source of information on an outstanding career and the functioning of constitutional adjudication that the reader would not find in legal textbooks or treatises. The Times Literary Supplement, reviewing the German edition, stated: "For anyone wishing to understand the respect for the rule of law in modern Germany, this book is highly recommended."

This book presents a unique account of the social and political impacts of the German Basic Law on the German Republic from 1949 to the present day.It considers the way in which the history of the Federal Republic of Germany has been decisively influenced by its Constitution, the Basic Law of 1949, and by the jurisprudence of the Federal Constitutional Court. The book argues that the historiography of the Federal Republic does little to reflect this influence. The Basic Law is mentioned and so are occasionally rulings of the Federal Constitutional Court. But the reader does not get the impression that they were of specific importance in Germany before and after reunification. Legal scholars, on the other hand, are concerned about the legal consequences of the Basic Law, but do not analyse its impact in the real world. There is, thus, a gap between the two disciplines – one not being familiar with social reality, the other not familiar with the normativity of the law. The history of the effectiveness of the constitution falls into this gap. In this book, Dieter Grimm, himself a Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court from 1987 to 1999 and an expert on interdisciplinary research in law, history and political science, guides the reader through important developments and events that were determined or influenced by the constitution and its judicial interpretation.

This collection of essays from Dieter Grimm, Germany’s most renowned constitutional scholar, shines a light on the jurisprudence of the German Constitutional Court and constitutional adjudication in general. Established in 1951, the court has become a blueprint for new courts ever since and its jurisprudence, particularly in the field of fundamental rights, has influenced the decisions of judges throughout the world. After the seismic constitutional changes of the years 1989–90 in Germany and beyond, many countries adopted new democratic constitutions and established constitutional courts in order to make their constitutions effective. Today, many of these courts are under attack both politically and intellectually. In this book, Grimm considers some of the fundamental questions under academic scrutiny today: are constitutional courts political or legal institutions? Is judicial review a political or a legal activity? Is it a threat to, or a condition, of democracy? Should these courts be abolished or strengthened? Is a rational interpretation of constitutional law possible? The essays provide answers to these questions and describe how constitutional courts work if they properly fulfill their function of enforcing the constitution. A special emphasis is put on the importance of constitutional interpretation: something, the author argues, that most critics of constitutional adjudication neglect.

Wie entwickelt sich das Recht in Zukunft? Welches Recht findet der Jurist in der Zukunft vor? Welche Regelungsaufgaben sind absehbar und welche rechtlichen und methodischen Innovationen würden sie verlangen? Wie keine andere rechtliche Institution ermöglichen Grundrechte normative Lernprozesse. Die Aufsätze von Dieter Grimm (Hauptreferat) und Anne Peters (Kommentar) blicken deswegen auf die Errungenschaften von Grundrechten und auf ihre Zukunft jenseits des Staates.

Constitutionalism: Past, Present, and Future is the definitive collection of Dieter Grimm's most influential writings on constitutional thought and interpretation. The essays included in this volume explore the conditions under which the modern constitution could emerge; they treat the characteristics that must be given if the constitution may be called an achievement, the appropriate way to understand and interpret constitutional law under current conditions, the function of judicial review, the remaining role of national constitutions in a changing world, as well as the possibility of supra-national constitutionalism. Many of these essays have influenced the German and European discussion on constitutionalism and for the first time, much of the work of one of German's leading scholars of public law will be available in the English language.

Verfassungsgeschichte und Privatrechtsgeschichte gehen gewöhnlich getrennte Wege. Doch werden sie damit ihren Gegenständen nicht gerecht, denn Verfassung und Privatrecht stehen in enger Beziehung zueinander, und das nicht erst, seit im 20. Jahrhundert die Drittwirkung der Grundrechte entdeckt wurde. Die Beziehungen wechseln freilich mit den Begleitumständen. Sie stellten sich in Frankreich, wo der Übergang von monarchischem Absolutismus und ständisch-feudaler Gesellschaftsordnung zur bürgerlichen Staats- und Sozialordnung in einem revolutionären Akt des bereits emanzipierten Bürgertums herbeigeführt wurde, anders dar als in Deutschland, wo die Umstellung von der Obrigkeit ausging und sich in einem langen, rechtsförmigen Prozess evolutiv vollzog. Die Formationsphase der bürgerlichen Gesellschaft zwischen Revolutionen und Restauration enthält dafür vielfältiges Anschauungsmaterial, das auch die Grundlage für Analysen der weiteren Entwicklung des Verhältnisses der beiden Rechtsgebiete bietet.

Europe is in crisis. With rising unrest among citizens of EU member states exemplified by the UK's decision to leave the EU, and the growing popularity of anti-EU political parties, Dieter Grimm presents the argument that Europe has to change its method of further integration or risks failure. This book, containing essays many of which have not been published in the English language to date, explores how the EU has become over-constitutionalized. Grimm argues that this has left the EU with a democratic deficit leading to the alienation of citizens. This book highlights Europe's democracy problem. The most prominent argument running throughout is that the EU and its decision-making processes have become over-constitutionalized. This is due to the constitutionalization of European treaties, which has occurred by raising them to the eminence of a constitution as a result of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice. However, the treaties contain provisions that would be ordinary law in member states. The fact that they enjoy constitutional status in Europe detaches them from the democratic processes in the member states and the EU itself, and contributes to the growing independence of the EU's executive and judicial institutions. The book also asserts that currently the EU does not have enough sources of legitimation to uphold itself, surviving solely on the legitimation provided by member states. One popular remedy is the suggestion of 'parliamentarization' of the EU, giving the European Parliament the powers typically possessed by national parliaments as a means of heightening its legitimation. This is criticized by Grimm as expanding the Parliament's powers would not change the effects of over-constiutionalization as the Parliament is inferior to the constitution. In order to reduce the EU's legitimacy deficit, Grimm makes several recommendations. The repoliticization of the decision-making processes, which can be achieved by reducing treaties to the capacity necessary for their constitutional function; the reinvigoration of European Parliament elections, by having 'Europeanized' parties to increase engagement with European society and give voters the opportunity to more immediately influence European politics; and a new division of powers based on subject matter to restrain European expansionism, reserving particular areas of policy to the responsibility of member states even if this affects the common market.

Dieter Grimm ist einer der führenden Gelehrten des Öffentlichen Rechts und einer der wichtigsten juristischen Zeitzeugen der Bundesrepublik. Er hat nicht nur in herausgehobener Funktion an der deutschen Rechtsentwicklung mitgewirkt und über sie nachgedacht, er ist auch ein international wahrgenommener Beobachter und Themensetzer. In diesem wissenschaftsbiographischen Interview berichtet er über Erfahrungen und Hintergründe, die weder in Gerichtsentscheidungen noch in wissenschaftlichen Publikationen zur Sprache kommen.

Constitutionalism: Past, Present, and Future will offer a definitive collection of Professor Dieter Grimm's most important scholarly writings on constitutional thought and interpretation. The essays included in this volume explore the conditions under which the modern constitution could emerge; they treat the characteristics that must be given if the constitution may be called an achievement, the appropriate way to understand and interpret constitutional law under current conditions, the function of judicial review, the remaining role of national constitutions in a changing world, as well as the possibility of supra-national constitutionalism. Many of these essays have influenced the German and European discussion on constitutionalism and for the first time, much of the work of one of German's leading scholars of public law will be available in the English language.

Dieter Grimm's accessible introduction to the concept of sovereignty ties the evolution of the idea to historical events, from the religious conflicts of sixteenth-century Europe to today's trends in globalization and transnational institutions. Grimm wonders whether recent political changes have undermined notions of national sovereignty, comparing manifestations of the concept in different parts of the world. Geared for classroom use, the study maps various notions of sovereignty in relation to the people, the nation, the state, and the federation, distinguishing between internal and external types of sovereignty. Grimm's book will appeal to political theorists and cultural-studies scholars and to readers interested in the role of charisma, power, originality, and individuality in political rule.

Dieter Grimm's accessible introduction to the concept of sovereignty ties the evolution of the idea to historical events, from the religious conflicts of sixteenth-century Europe to today's trends in globalization and transnational institutions. Grimm wonders whether recent political changes have undermined notions of national sovereignty, comparing manifestations of the concept in different parts of the world. Geared for classroom use, the study maps various notions of sovereignty in relation to the people, the nation, the state, and the federation, distinguishing between internal and external types of sovereignty. Grimm's book will appeal to political theorists and cultural-studies scholars and to readers interested in the role of charisma, power, originality, and individuality in political rule.

Dem europäischen Juristen ist die Einteilung des Rechts in öffentliches und privates geläufig. Indessen hat sie weder zu allen Zeiten bestanden noch spielt sie heute überall eine Rolle. Sie ist das Produkt einer bestimmten historischen Konstellation. Daher kann sie ihre Bedeutung auch wieder verlieren, wenn sich die Verhältnisse grundlegend ändern. Für eine solche Veränderung mehren sich seit einiger Zeit die Anzeichen. Das öffentliche Recht ist sich seiner Identität nicht mehr gewiss. Dieter Grimm beschreibt die Entstehungsbedingungen der Trennung und untersucht die seither eingetretenen Veränderungen, namentlich den Wandel der Staatsaufgaben und die Erosion der Staatlichkeit im Zuge von Internationalisierung und Globalisierung. Dessen ungeachtet sieht der Autor im Herrschaftsbezug aber nach wie vor ein Identifikationsmerkmal, das die Beibehaltung der Kategorie rechtfertigt, auch wenn ihre Grenzen unscharf geworden sind.