Decisions of the Bundesverfassungsgericht - Federal Constitutional Court - Federal Republic of Germa

Federal Constitutional Court

doi:10.5771/9783845205540

Summary

Der vierte Band mit Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts in englischer Sprache widmet sich dem Recht der Glaubensfreiheit und der Kirchen. Auch zu dieser Rechtsmaterie wie bereits zu den Bänden 1 bis 3 haben die Mitglieder des Bundesverfassungsgerichts die grundlegenden Entscheidungen zusammengestellt und sie in einer nur unwesentlich gekürzten Form in die englische Sprache übertragen lassen.

Der Materien der Glaubensfreiheit und des Rechts der Kirchen zeichnen sich nicht nur durch das besondere Interesse der Öffentlichkeit an ihnen aus, sondern auch durch ihre Vielfalt und ihren Facettenreichtum. Das Bundesverfassungsgericht hatte sich auf diesem Feld in seiner über fünfzigjährigen Geschichte mit so verschiedenen Materien wie beispielsweise der Kirchensteuer, der Aufstellung eines Kruzifixes in öffentlichen Räumen, der Eidesleistung, dem Schächten oder auch der religiösen Erziehung in der Schule zu befassen.

Das Werk wird eingeleitet durch ein Vorwort des Präsidenten des Bundesverfassungsgerichts, Professor Dr. Dres. h.c. Hans-Jürgen Papier. Um den Zugang zu den enthaltenen Entscheidungen zu erleichtern, sind im Anhang die zum Verständnis wesentlichen Vorschriften des Grundgesetzes und der Weimarer Verfassung in englischer Sprache wiedergegeben. Wie die vorangegangenen Bände wird auch der vierte Band ergänzt durch ein Stichwort- und Normenverzeichnis sowie ein aktuelles Verzeichnis aller Mitglieder des Bundesverfassungsgerichts seit 1951.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2007
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8329-2132-3
ISBN-Online: 978-3-8452-0554-0
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Language: English
Pages: 471
Product type: Edited Book

Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis No access Pages 2 - 11
Preface by Prof. Dr. Dres. h.c. Hans-Jürgen Papier No access Pages 12 - 14 Hans-Jürgen Papier
Explanations of Abbreviations in the Court’s Case Numbers No access Pages 15 - 18
Judges of the Federal Constitutional Court, 1951-2007 No access Pages 19 - 22
BVerfGE 12, 1 Order of the First Senate of 8 November 1960 – 1 BvR 59/56 “Solicitation for resignation of church membership case” Anyone promising tobacco to fellow inmates in order to induce them to resign church membership does not enjoy therefor protection of freedom of faith (Articles 4 and 5 of the Basic Law). No access Pages 23 - 26
BVerfGE 19, 1 Order of the First Senate of 28 April 1965 – 1 BvR 346/61 “Exemption from fees for religious communities case” Exemption of the New Apostolic Church from fees in accordance with § 8.1 no. 4 of the Prussian Court Costs Act. No access Pages 27 - 36
BVerfGE 19, 206 Judgment of the First Senate of 14 December 1965 – 1 BvR 413, 416/60 “Church construction tax case” Unconstitutionality of the Baden church construction tax. No transfer to a religious society of sovereign powers vis-à-vis persons who do not belong to any religious society. No access Pages 37 - 48
BVerfGE 19, 226 Judgment of the First Senate of 14 December 1965 – 1 BvL 31, 32/62 “Mixed-marriage church tax case” An employee who is not a member of a church entitled to levy tax cannot be obliged by state law to pay church tax for his or her spouse who is a member of a church, or to be liable for the spouse’s church tax debt. No access Pages 49 - 56
BVerfGE 19, 268 Judgment of the First Senate of 14 December 1965 – 1 BvR 606/60 “Church tax for mixed-faith spouses case” The splitting principle enshrined in German church tax law (assessment of church tax in mixed-faith marriages in accordance with the combined income of both spouses) is unconstitutional. No access Pages 57 - 66
BVerfGE 24, 236 Order of the First Senate of 16 October 1968 – 1 BvR 241/66 “Rag collector case” Guarantee of the right to organise collections for church or religious purposes and to announce them from the pulpit. Freedom of faith and freedom to profess a belief for associations with not all-embracing, but only partial care for the religious or ideological life of their members (Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth). No access Pages 67 - 75
BVerfGE 30, 415 Order of the First Senate of 31 March 1971 – 1 BvR 744/67 “Church tax liability case” Linking liability to pay church tax to baptism and place of residence. No access Pages 76 - 83
BVerfGE 32, 98 Order of the First Senate of 19 October 1971 – 1 BvR 387/65 “Freedom of faith and failure to lend assistance case” Extended application of the fundamental right to freedom of faith to punishment for failure to lend assistance. No access Pages 84 - 91
BVerfGE 33, 23 Order of the Second Senate of 11 April 1972 – 2 BvR 75/71 “Oath refusal case” Protection of the religious conviction which refuses to take the oath of a witness even without invoking God. No access Pages 92 - 105
BVerfGE 35, 366 Order of the First Senate of 17 July 1973 – 1 BvR 308/69 “Cross in the courtroom case” Placing crosses in the courtroom. No access Pages 106 - 111
BVerfGE 41, 29 Order of the First Senate of 17 December 1975 – 1 BvR 63/68 “Christian interdenominational school in the Baden tradition case” Christian interdenominational school according to the tradition of the Land Baden-Württemberg. No access Pages 112 - 125
BVerfGE 42, 312 Order of the Second Senate of 21 September 1976 – 2 BvR 350/75 “Church officer as member of the Bundestag case” Granting leave of absence to ministers and church officers for the duration of a term of office as a member of parliament in the Bundestag or in the legislative bodies of a Land. No access Pages 126 - 146
BVerfGE 44, 37 Order of the First Senate of 8 February 1977 – 1 BvR 329/71, 217, 2237/73 and 199, 217/74 “Church tax after resignation of church membership case” Statutory period (“consideration period”) for the effectiveness of a declaration of resignation of church membership; “subsequent taxation” of a person who has resigned church membership. No access Pages 147 - 161
BVerfGE 44, 59 Order of the First Senate of 8 February 1977 – 1 BvL 7/71 “Church tax after resignation of church membership case” (in supplement to BVerfGE 44, 37) Levying church tax on a person who resigned church membership until expiry of the calendar month following the declaration of resignation of church membership. No access Pages 162 - 169
BVerfGE 46, 73 Order of the Second Senate of 11 October 1977 – 2 BvR 209/76 “Church institution and works constitution law case” Works council in a charitable Catholic hospital. No access Pages 170 - 185
BVerfGE 52, 223 Order of the First Senate of 16 October 1979 – 1 BvR 647/70 and 7/74 “School prayer in state schools case” Voluntary interdenominational school prayer in interdenominational schools outside religious instruction. No access Pages 186 - 203
BVerfGE 53, 366 Order of the Second Senate of 25 March 1980 – 2 BvR 208/76 “Hospital law and church self-determination case” Secular order on the structure and organisation of hospitals that are operated by religious societies, or institutions that are on an equal footing with them or associated with them, as a violation of the constitutional guarantee of the church’s right of self-determination (Hospital Act of the Land North-Rhine/Westphalia). No access Pages 204 - 233
BVerfGE 57, 220 Order of the Second Senate of 17 February 1981 – 2 BvR 384/78 “Trade-union access to church institution case” Access to charitable institutions of the churches by outside union representatives. No access Pages 234 - 247
BVerfGE 70, 138 Order of the Second Senate of 4 June 1985 – 2 BvR 1703, 718/83 and 856/84 “Labour law in church hospital case” The effectiveness of notices of termination of employment given by church institutions to employees in their service for the violation of ecclesiastical obligations of loyalty. No access Pages 248 - 268
BVerfGE 73, 388 Order of the Second Senate of 23 October 1986 – 2 BvL 7, 8/84 “Church money case” Empowerment of the church corporate bodies entitled to levy tax to determine the nature and amount of church money in mixed-faith marriages. No access Pages 269 - 276
BVerfGE 74, 244 Order of the First Senate of 25 February 1987 pursuant to § 24 of the Federal Constitutional Court Act – 1 BvR 47/84 “Case concerning the participation in religious instruction by pupils with another religious belief” Decision on the participation of pupils with another religious belief in religious instruction by the responsible religious community. No access Pages 277 - 283
BVerfGE 83, 341 Order of the Second Senate of 5 February 1991 – 2 BvR 263/86 “Bahá’í case” Consideration of freedom of religion in interpretation and application of provisions of the Civil Code regarding associations (registration of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís in the register of associations). No access Pages 284 - 299
BVerfGE 93, 1 Order of the First Senate of 16 May 1995 – 1 BvR 1087/91 “Classroom crucifix case” Freedom of faith and the affixation of crosses or crucifixes in schoolrooms. No access Pages 300 - 321
BVerfGE 99, 100 Judgment of the Second Senate of 13 October 1998 – 2 BvR 1275/96 “Guarantee of church property (St. Salvator church (Salvatorkirche)) case” Surrender of the St. Salvator church in Munich (Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour) to the Free State of Bavaria for transfer to the “Holy Metropolis of Germany”. No access Pages 322 - 337
BVerfGE 102, 370 Judgment of the Second Senate of 19 December 2000 – 2 BvR 1500/97 “Jehovah’s Witnesses case” No access Pages 338 - 356
BVerfGE 104, 305 Order of the First Senate of 11 December 2001 – 1 BvF 1/96, 1 BvR 1697, 1718, 1783/96, 1412/97 “Proposal for a settlement on the arrangement of religious instruction in Brandenburg (LER case)” Proposal for a common settlement: Provision of the Brandenburg School Act on the subject Life Skills, Ethics and Religious Studies. No access Pages 357 - 361
BVerfGE 104, 337 Judgment of the First Senate of 15 January 2002 – 1 BvR 1783/99 “Permit for ritual slaughter case” Permit for ritual slaughter for Muslim butchers. No access Pages 362 - 376
BVerfGE 105, 279 Order of the First Senate of 26 June 2002 – 1 BvR 670/91 “Sect warning case” Fundamental right of the freedom of religion and ideology (Article 4.1 and 4.2 of the Basic Law as a barrier to the information activity of the Federal Government – Osho Movement). No access Pages 377 - 396
BVerfGE 108, 282 Judgment of the Second Senate of 24 September 2003 – 2 BvR 1436/02 “Headscarf case” Headscarf in class. No access Pages 397 - 438
Selected Provisions of the Basic Law No access Pages 439 - 454
Selected Provisions of the Weimar Constitution No access Pages 455 - 458
Index No access Pages 459 - 466
Index of Statutes No access Pages 467 - 471