| La tutela dei diritti fondamentali nelle Costituzioni dei Länder tedeschi |
| Fascicolo 2002-3 |
| Scritto da Arnold Rainer |
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Sommario 1. Introduzione. – 2. Cenni storici. – 3. La garanzia giurisdizionale dei diritti fondamentali. – 3.1. Gli strumenti. – 3.2. L’interpretazione e i meccanismi di armonizzazione. – 4. I contenuti dei diritti fondamentali dei Länder. – 5. Considerazioni conclusive.
Abstract This article deals with the protection of fundamental rights in the constitutions of the member states (Länder) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Despite the so-called homogeneity-clause in art. 28 of the German Basic Law, which extends the binding prescription of certain fundamental constitutional principles such as democracy and the rule of law also to the Länder constitutions, thus limiting their constitutional autonomy, the Länder are basically free to recognize different and further-reaching fundamental rights compared to those contained in the Basic Law, at least as long as they are consistent with the latter as a minimum guarantee. Consequently, the solutions adopted in the single Constitutions vary according to the historical period of their adoption: the first Constitutions, prior to the entry into force of the Basic Law, contain social rights (influenced by the Constitution of Weimar); some Western Länder Constitutions contain only brief catalogues, while directly referring to the fundamental rights on federal level; the Constitutions of the Eastern Länder, adopted after the reunification, often contain “modern” fundamental rights, reflecting technological innovations and the jurisprudence of the (Federal) Constitutional Court. The protection of fundamental rights by the Constitutional Courts through various instruments, the relationship and influence between federal and Länder level are analysed in the final part of the article. |