The Constitutional Court of the Prinicipality of Liechtenstein: WikiAudio.

The history of the State Court is intertwined with the formation of the Constitution of 1921. The State Court was something quite new.

In neighbouring countries there was revolution in the air and in Liechtenstein, economic necessity called for change. This led in turn to agreements which ultimately resulted in the so-called ‘Schlossabmachungen’ or ‘castle agreements’. The ‘Schlossabmachungen’ provided a foundation for the new constitution and, consequently, the State Court.

The decree of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein of September 11th 1920, in which, under the terms of the ‘Schlossabmachungen’, he instructed the Government to present the new constitution to the State Parliament, was also the occasion, under article 4 and others, of the inauguration of the State Court:

…By means of special legislation, the State Court should be established as the guarantor in cases involving citizens’ rights and the arbiter in conflicts of authority and in disciplinary hearings for public employees…
[Rupert Quaderer, Die Schlossabmachungen vom September 1920, Studien und Quellen zur politischen Geschichte des Fürstentums Liechtenstein im früheren 20. Jahrhundert, Vaterländische Union 1996, S. 188]

Three days later, the politicians demanded that the State Court should be comprised primarily of Liechtenstein citizens and that the findings of the State Court over-rule prior judgements regarding any constitutional matters. In respect of the standing of the State, it was further required that the president of the State Court be a native Liechtensteiner.

The new constitution of 5th October 1921 took into account in the ‘Castle agreement’ the hard-won and partly bitterly fought-for demands of the People’s Party. It came into force on 24th October 1921.

…The new constitution of Liechtenstein of 5th October 1921 brought about a considerable shift of emphasis: if the old constitution of 1862 was heavily weighted in favour of the Prince in terms of monarchical prerogative, the new state form was now defined as ‘a constitutional hereditary monarchy founded on democratic and parliamentary principles’, the power of state being shared within the duality of ‘Prince and people’. The Prince allowed his powers to be curtailed in favour of the people while retaining for himself some essential rights… [Peter Geiger, Krisenzeit, Liechtenstein in den Dreissigerjahren 1928 – 1939, 2.Aufl., Vaduz Zürich 2000, Band 1, S.67]

Jurisdiction was organised from the outset. New courts were created within the realm of civil rights:

…The different types of court were re-patriated and embellished: district court, upper court, high court and in addition State Court and administrative complaints judicial body. The earlier foreign in courts in Austria were abolished. Foreign-based judges, elected by State Parliament, were drawn from Austria and Switzerland to complement their existing colleagues…[Geiger, 1, S.68]

The Constitution of 5th October 1921 brought the State Court into being, although not yet in fully functioning form as it lacked one particular act of law. The work required for this ‘keystone’ of the new legal code was subject to delay ‘as a result of the excessive workload of the authorities’ and of its co-authors, Dr. Wilhelm Beck and Dr. Emil Beck.

Considerable work had already been completed by 1922 with the law safeguarding State Administration, but it was only in the Summer of 1925 that a Bill and a report by the Commission were submitted. The State Parliament considered and passed State Court Act in the meeting of 5th November 1925, sanctioned by Prince Johann II on 14th December. The State Parliament voted the State Court into being 14 days later. Now the State Court could begin its work. The first judgement by the State Court dates from the year 1931 and concerns the withdrawal of a complaint.

Function and significance of the State Court [Source: State Court of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Hrsg.), 75th Anniversary of the State Court of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Vaduz 2000]The State Court represents the “crowning” of the Constitution of 1921. It was in fact the first European constitutional legal code with wide-ranging authority with regard to constitutional powers concerning not only a final Court of Appeal but also in respect of statutes and regulations. Considering its extensive powers, the State Court of Liechtenstein remained for a long time unique in international comparison. It would be more than a quarter of a century before the creation of the German Federal Constitutional Court brought into being an organ of state furnished with similar authority? [Wolfram Höfling, Liechtensteinische Politische Schriften Nr. 20: Die Liechtensteinische Grundrechtordnung]] The State Court is comprised of a President and four additional Members and their deputies all of whom hold secondary office. The Members of the State Court are elected by Parliament. The appointment of the President and his deputy must be affirmed by the sovereign. As Constitutional Law Court, the State Court ensures that all authorities adhere to the guaranteed fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. Of particular significance in this regard are the constitutional safety measures to combat arbitrary actions. With membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in 1982 and the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1995, the jurisdiction of the State Court was extended to include judgement on ECHR and EEC conformity on cases set before it. The State Court reviews the activities of the legislator by means of a comprehensive judicial control whereby unconstitutional laws and regulations may be amended or abolished. Such examinations may be performed by the State Court when it is required to apply a legal norm that in itself appears to be unconstitutional. Courts may also submit regulatory directives and laws after legal petition to the State Court for examination in current cases. Independently of any actual case, the Government and local authorities may submit statutes to the State Court for examination. Local authorities may also request such procedure in the case of regulations. This procedure may also be enacted if one hundred electors request it. At the request of the Executive or Legislature, the State Court will ultimately decide upon constitutional matters. Alongside its role as an appeal court, the State Court also has a restricted function as a special administrative court. It is the final arbiter in civil rights cases as well as boundary and administrative disputes between local authorities. In addition, it rules on conflicts of authority between administrative and judicial bodies. Finally, it is also the electoral law court. The broad-ranging jurisdiction of the State Court gives it substantial weight in power-struggles between the various organs of state. It is especially empowered to monitor the constitutional validity of statutes which is a balancing act between the legitimate correction of infringements of basic rights by the legislative branch and improper political importuning of the democratically elected legislature. Although it has been seen recently to have increasingly extended its influence into the realm of the legislature, it is nevertheless seen as restrained when compared with other constitutional courts.

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• V.http://www.stgh.li/englisch/