Deutscher Grundrechtsschutz zwischen staatlicher Souveränität und menschenrechtlicher Europäisierung

Jan Moritz Schilling studies the relationship between the German Federal Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights, which has attracted a great deal of public interest since the Görgülü ruling in 2004. In its decision, the Federal Constitutional Court introduced the legal concept »judgmental consideration« (wertende Berücksichtigung) in order to have a flexible instrument for implementing European Convention law while preserving its authority to make the final decision. The author analyzes the development of the Federal Constitutional Court's rulings and reflects upon their consequences for implementing the Court's judgments in Germany. Against the backdrop of the positive attitude of the German Basic Law towards the European Convention on Human Rights, he comes to the conclusion that it is the constitutional and institutional duty of German courts to respect the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.