The Federal Constitutional Court (, usually abbreviated ) is the federal constitutional court of Germany. It is the highest independent constitutional organ of the German judiciary, ranking equally with the other supreme federal courts, and is â at the same time â the highest federal court in Germany.
, 16 justices serve on the two senates of the court. This article lists the current justices and the former presidents, vice-presidents and all former justices.
The court is divided into two senates, each with different subject-matter jurisdiction. The court's two senates were originally staffed with twelve justices each. With effect from 1963, the number of justices per senate was reduced to eight.
The eight justices per senate include the president and the vice-president of the Federal Constitutional Court, who each preside over one of the court's two senates.
Eight justices currently serve on the first senate of the Federal Constitutional Court. Listed in order of seniority , they are (if the tenure length is identical they are listed in alphabetical order):
Eight justices currently serve on the second senate of the Federal Constitutional Court. Listed in order of seniority, they are (if the tenure length is identical they are listed in alphabetical order):
The president of the Federal Constitutional Court is elected alternately by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat in accordance with Section 9 of the ', and is appointed by the President of Germany in accordance with Section 10 of the '.
To date, 10 persons have served as president of the Federal Constitutional Court. In chronological order, they are:
The vice-president of the Federal Constitutional Court is elected alternately by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat in accordance with Section 9 of the ', and is appointed by the President of Germany in accordance with Section 10 of the '.
To date, 16 persons have served as vice-president of the Federal Constitutional Court. Listed in chronological order, they are:
Since the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court in 1951, 121 justices (including presidents and vice-presidents) have served on the court. The shortest tenure on the court lasted only 133 days (), while the longest serving member of the court served for 26 years and 56 days (Willi Geiger).
The court's justices are elected by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, and are appointed by the President of Germany. According to Article 93(2) of the German Basic Law, both legislative bodies elect half of the members of the two senates. The election procedure is contained in Sections 5 and 6 of the '. Beginning with the election of in 2017, the justices that are to be elected by the Bundestag are elected by the Bundestag itself and no longer by the election committee () of the Bundestag.
The 121 justices are listed below in chronological order. If the date of their assumption of office â their appointment â is identical, the lower seat number is decisive for the purposes of this list.