How Do You Guard the Guardians of the Constitution? – The Federal Constitutional Court and Democracy

In recent years, we have increasingly witnessed in Europe and the United States how the independence of the judiciary is being challenged, sometimes openly and sometimes more subtly, by political actors. In the U.S., the situation has escalated to the point where former President Trump publicly threatened and insulted judges whose decisions he disliked. At the same time, the Supreme Court has been a central focus of political debates for years.

By contrast, Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has traditionally enjoyed a high level of public trust, sometimes even more than the federal government itself. Yet the failed appointment of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf has shown that the Court is not immune to political polarization and can become entangled in partisan conflicts. Against this backdrop, the question arises: how can the Federal Constitutional Court remain resilient at a time when the rule of law is increasingly under pressure?

We are very pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Susanne Baer to discuss this topic on Wednesday, 3 December 2025, at 5:30 PM at the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe.

Susanne Baer served as a judge at the Federal Constitutional Court from 2011 to 2023 and has published a book titled „Red Lines – How the Federal Constitutional Court Protects Democracy“, in which she explains the Court’s work, its significance, and why even the Constitutional Court itself deserves protection.

Together with our audience, we look forward to exploring questions such as how the Federal Constitutional Court actually works, how consensus is reached within the Court, how it safeguards democracy, how a loss of trust in the Court can be prevented, and how Germany can avoid developments similar to those in the United States.

We look forward to your participation and kindly ask for your binding registration by 2 December 2025.