The Federal Court of Justice is the highest court of civil and criminal jurisdiction in Germany. Its primary responsibility is the final appellate review of decisions by lower courts for errors of law. While, legally, a decision by the Federal Court of Justice is only binding with respect to the individual case in which it enters, de facto the court's interpretation of the law is followed by lower courts with almost no exception. Decisions handed down by the Federal Court of Justice can only be vacated by the Federal Constitutional Court for violating a provision of the German constitution, the Basic Law.
Hereditary Grand Ducal Palace, seat of the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe
Bettina Limperg (2013), president of the court since 2014
Courtroom of a civil division in the Hereditary Grand Ducal Palace
Judges of a civil division before an oral argument
Federal Constitutional Court
The Federal Constitutional Court is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law of Germany. Since its inception with the beginning of the post-World War II republic, the court has been located in the city of Karlsruhe, which is also the seat of the Federal Court of Justice.
Bundesverfassungsgericht
Temporary building of the Bundesverfassungsgericht
Library (foreground) and Courtroom (background)
50th Anniversary of the Bundesverfassungsgericht (last coin in Deutsche Mark denomination)