Der Hüter der Zukunft?

The article examines recent case law of the Federal Constitutional Court in which the future emerges as a central constitutional concern. To this end, the article compares decisions concerning climate protection, budgetary autonomy and the transition of legislature. The comparison shows that the derivation of constitutional obligations towards the future depends on three main factors: the normative structure of constitutional law, its justiciability and the temporal dimension of the doctrinal tools applied by the Court. The article concludes that the Court's legitimacy to intervene in politics to safeguard an open future remains limited.