verfassungsblog

Constitutional Disobedience by Statute For two decades, Indonesias Constitutional Court rolled back vague speech offences, unchecked police powers, and procedural rules that enabled arbitrary prosecution. The new criminal and criminal procedure codes, in force since January 2026, reverse course. Some constitutional rulings were codified, others quietly revived, and still others stripped of their practical effect through legislative redesign. The result is a legal framework that expands state power while reopening constitutional conflicts once thought settled. The post Constitutional Disobedience by Statute appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Fixing the Hungarian Bench Péter Magyar swept away Fidesz and won a constitutional majority. Yet Orbán packed the courts with his people in the meantime. Should Magyar resort to another round of court-packing? First, legitimate court-packing must have a just cause and must be proportional. Second, the proportionality of such reactive court-packing should in general respect the paired effect, although a stronger response may sometimes be justified. Finally, Magyar should not aim just for returning to the status quo but should innovate and build a resilient judiciary that enjoys the trust of the Hungarian people. The post Fixing the Hungarian Bench appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Schulische Inklusion in Gefahr Kinder mit Förderbedarf gehen im Schulsystem unter. Das BMBF will nun die Eingliederungshilfe grundlegend reformieren – und legt einen Entwurf vor, der den bisherigen individuellen Rechtsanspruch auf Schulbegleitung weitgehend abschafft. Damit greift das Ministerium zwar ein reales Problem auf. Doch die vorgeschlagene Lösung dürfte den Druck in den Schulen weiter erhöhen, die betroffenen Kinder schlechter stellen und verstößt gegen die UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention. The post Schulische Inklusion in Gefahr appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Towards an Associate Membership Status for Ukraine? In a recent letter addressed to the Cypriot Council Presidency and the leaders of the European Commission and the European Council, German Chancellor Friederich Merz proposed a status of associate membership for Ukraine. This innovative solution is presented as an intermediate step towards full membership. Whereas the political inspiration of Merzs proposal is clear, its translation into practice raises significant questions. The post Towards an Associate Membership Status for Ukraine? appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Vetoing the President? Following Fideszs electoral defeat, the countrys new political leadership has pledged to dismantle the legal and institutional structures that enabled sixteen years of democratic backsliding. Yet one of the most powerful obstacles to that project may be hidden in plain sight: the constitutional powers of the President of the Republic. If President Tamás Sulyok chooses to use them aggressively, Hungary could soon find itself facing an unprecedented constitutional crisis. The post Vetoing the President? appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Sensibilität, nicht Nervosität Am 27. April gab das Verwaltungsgericht Berlin dem Eilantrag der „Jüdischen Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost e.V." statt: Der Verein hatte sich dagegen gewehrt, im Verfassungsschutzbericht 2024 als extremistisch eingestuft zu werden. Kein Einzelfall – derlei Verfahren ging zuletzt auch prominent zugunsten der Antragsteller aus. Dies zeigt, dass ein falsches Verständnis von Wehrhaftigkeit droht, allzu schnell in Angst vor der Freiheitsausübung von (Grund-)Rechtsträgern und schließlich einen reflexiven Selbstschutz umzuschlagen. In diesem Fall beweist das Verwaltungsgericht Berlin Sensibilität statt Nervosität. The post Sensibilität, nicht Nervosität appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

On the Renewal of Media Regulation The oppositions two-thirds electoral victory has opened the way for a comprehensive renewal of media regulation. Although the legislator must respond to the legacy of the past sixteen years, lasting success can only be achieved if we are also able to learn from the thirty years of experience with Hungarian media governance. Then the harder part will begin: ensuring that the system of media governance operates in accordance with an institutional culture committed to pluralism, dialogue, constitutional values, and sound public policy. The post On the Renewal of Media Regulation appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Constitutionally Anti-constitutional Perus presidential runoff on June 7 will decide between Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez – and whoever wins will become the countrys tenth president in ten years. The presidency, however, has seemingly lost its political import. Parliament has effectively ruled Peru for the last decade: it has impeached four presidents since 2020 and rewritten the constitution to introduce a powerful new Senate, set to begin functioning on July 28. Rodrigo Maruy argues that this Senate is, in essence, constitutionally anti-constitutional – its powers systematically undermine the very checks and balances that liberal constitutionalism exists to protect. The post Constitutionally Anti-constitutional appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Endstation Strafjustiz Der Streit um das „Schwarzfahren kreist meist um Strafwürdigkeit, Verhältnismäßigkeit und überlastete Gefängnisse. Doch diese Perspektive verdeckt, worum es eigentlich geht: um die Frage, wer Zugang zu gesellschaftlicher Infrastruktur hat und unter welchen Bedingungen. § 265a StGB schützt nicht nur Vermögensinteressen, sondern stabilisiert eine soziale Zugangsordnung – mit weitreichenden Folgen für Sichtbarkeit, Zugehörigkeit und die Erfahrung staatlicher Kontrolle. An diesem für viele banalen Alltagsdelikt zeigt sich, wie eng Strafrecht und soziale Ungleichheit miteinander verflochten sind. The post Endstation Strafjustiz appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Specifying a Fourth Integrity The European Digital Fairness Act, which the Commission will table at the end of 2026 under the portfolio of Michael McGrath, is being drafted in the grammar of consumer protection. For adults, that grammar holds. For children, it is the wrong category. A child cannot meaningfully consent to the architectural shaping of the very faculties through which she would, as an adult, consent. The missing piece is the specification of a fourth layer of integrity for subjects in formation, grounded in the EU Charter and made operational by the legal occasion that the DFA provides. The post Specifying a Fourth Integrity appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Kein Hindernis für die Drohnenabwehr Berichte über Drohnen im europäischen und deutschen Luftraum reißen nicht ab. Mehrfach wurden Drohnenschwärme über Bundeswehrgelände und kritischer Infrastruktur gesichtet, die vermutlich Aufnahmen zu Aufklärungszwecken anfertigten. Teilweise wird das Grundgesetz als Hindernis für eine effektive Drohnenabwehr gesehen – die Verfassung erzeuge gerade bei Aufklärungsdrohnen eine Schutzlücke. Dieser Beitrag entwickelt mit Blick auf die Genese der Notstandsverfassung eine Mittelposition: Für die Abwehr von Aufklärungsdrohnen zur Sicherung militärischer Anlagen ist die Bundeswehr zuständig, für den Schutz ziviler Objekte die Landespolizei. The post Kein Hindernis für die Drohnenabwehr appeared first on Verfassungsblog.

Unfreezing EU Funds Without Melting the Rule of Law Three years ago, we wrote Frozen, a story about how EU institutions had blocked billions of euros in EU funds on rule of law grounds for Poland and Hungary. After the recent Hungarian parliamentary elections, a much happier scenario is visible in Budapest and Brussels: unfreezing those same funds. But how can this be speedily achieved while honouring the rule of law? This is far from straightforward. The post Unfreezing EU Funds Without Melting the Rule of Law appeared first on Verfassungsblog.