Justice and Injustice – History of the German Judiciary in the 20th Century

theme No.: 27c
responsible federal state: North Rhine-Westphalia
date: 10.09.2023 - 15.09.2023

The conference is aimed at judges of all courts and at public prosecutors.
During their work, jurists are often confronted with decisions that touch the basic principles of the understanding of right and wrong. Adaptation to a so-called dominating opinion or the spirit of the time is always easier than refusal or open opposition. This showed in an extreme way during the last century, in particular – but not only - in the Third Reich. From today’s point of view the decision of most law professionals to cooperate from conviction or "to prevent worse from happening" was the main factor for the entanglement of the German judiciary into the Nazi regime. Starting with the background of the law professionals of the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, the meeting will try not only to demonstrate the actions of that time, but also to elaborate the respective, often complex reasons. Positions of adaptation, refusal and resistance will be opposed to each other to show the possibilities and limits. The participants shall form their own opinion during the discussions. Furthermore, it will be reflected and discussed to what extent judges and public prosecutors today see themselves confronted with political and social influence.
Apart from the lectures, a one-day field trip to Berlin will also be part of the conference.
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