Are you looking for a great, flexible working environment and want to be directly involved in the innovative topics of our time?

The Chair of Antje von Ungern-Sternberg and the Institute for Digital Law Trier (IRDT) are looking for a secretary (m/f/d), pay grade 5 TV-L, 75%, permanent position!

The application deadline is January 31, 2026. Apply now!

Further information is available here. 

On January 27 at 6 p.m., the Institute for Digital Law Trier (IRDT) welcomes Juergen Kaube, editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, to the Trier Discussions on Law and Digitization!

Jürgen Kaube will enrich the lecture series on freedom of expression in the digital age with a presentation on “News and Opinion – Difficulties in Distinguishing Between Them in the Mass Media.”

The lecture series is organized by the DigitS EU project, funded by the RLP research initiative, the Trier Institute for Democracy and Party Research (TIDuP), and the IRDT!

This chapter for the Cambridge Handbook of Freedom of Expression, edited by Charles Girard/Andrew Kenyon (CUP, forthcoming), analyses the Digital Services Act’s (DSA’s) impact on freedom of expression. It outlines central elements of the regulation before looking at possible implications. Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg argues that EU platform regulation turns freedom of speech into a horizontal issue, a risk issue, and an EU issue. In conclusion, the DSA attempts to ‘constitutionalise’ online communication on platforms. The legislation intends to protect free speech and conflicting fundamental rights – in the private-law setting of platforms and users – by emphasising free speech as the default rule while facilitating the fight against illegal content, by introducing procedural fairness, and by establishing risk management obligations for the very large platforms and search engines. This approach and its aim to reconcile the rights and interests at stake are to be welcomed.
 

However, the DSA also creates new challenges: ‘Inflationary’ references to fundamental right and obligations to balance fundamental rights might also come with the danger of devaluating fundamental rights and of reducing them to a mere variable that can be easily argued away. And blurring the line between hard law and soft ‘informal’ obligations – by imposing very broad and open duties of risk management and by filling them with non-binding guidelines and codes – might also weaken the principle of formality and legality.
 

The chapter can be viewed here. ^{Photo by dlxmedia.hu on Unsplash}

The yearbook of the 68th Bitburg Talks has been published. In addition to the bound version, which can be purchased from C.H.Beck, the Institute for Legal Policy at the University of Trier (IRP) is making the individual contributions to the conference available free of charge on its website here.

This year's edition, chaired by Prof. Dr. Kyrill-Alexander Schwarz (Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg), was entitled “The Defensive and Combative Constitutional State – How Defensive is Our Constitutional Order?”

The Institute for Digital Law Trier (IRDT) is hosting an IRDT Lecture: Our media and communication culture is constantly changing as a result of advancing digitalization. In the digital age, this raises new and pressing questions regarding our constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties.

We look forward to welcoming Prof. Dr. Matthias Cornils (JGU Mainz) from the Mainz Media Institute to our Trier Discussions on Law and Digitalization! In his lecture, Prof. Dr. Matthias Cornils will address the constitutional issues of freedom of expression in the digital space.

The event will take place on December 15, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in Room C22 (Campus I, Building C).

There will be an opportunity for discussion after the lecture. No prior registration is required.

The Institute for Legal Policy at the University of Trier (IRP) announces a legal policy colloquium: In Germany, more and more people are openly expressing extremist views. This raises the urgent question of how to deal with those who are employed in the public service and are therefore committed to the free democratic basic order. A sports teacher hoarded weapons in his spare time for “Day X,” a police doctor compared the coronavirus legislation to the Enabling Act of 1933, and an LKA officer wrote racist Facebook posts. The federal government has responded to the increasing number of cases with, among other things, a change in the law in 2023, and Rhineland-Palatinate with a new administrative regulation. But are the legal foundations adequate? And where do they reach their limits in practice?

On January 20, 2026, starting at 6:00 p.m., Prof. Dr. Klaus F. Gärditz, Chair of Public Law at the University of Bonn, will address these questions in a lecture as part of our “Legal Policy Colloquium” series. The lecture will take place in room B16.

The journal Europarecht (Nomos) not only has a new layout, but also a new group of managing editors, which Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg is proud to be a part of. Together with Mattias Wendel, currently the managing editor, as well as Claudio Franzius, Matthias Kottmann, Franz Mayer, Matthias Ruffert, Daniel Thym, and Ruth Weber, Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg is looking forward to an exciting role and numerous submissions!
 

The new Legal Policy Forum of the Institute for Legal Policy (IRP) is now online.

The 85th issue of the series, entitled “25 Years of the Institute for Legal Policy – Paths to Strong and Vibrant Federalism,” with contributions from Prof. Dr. Frank Decker and Prof. Dr. Peter M. Huber, has been published and can be viewed online here. 

The fourteenth episode of the podcast series “Im Treff – Trierer rechtspolitische Gespräche” (In the Meeting – Trier Legal Policy Discussions), produced by the Institute for Legal Policy at the University of Trier (IRP), has been released:

“How intertwined are politics and the constitutional court?”

In recent months, the Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfG) has often been in the media for reasons other than its rulings. First, there was the issue of constitutionally safeguarding the court's independence, then the failed election of a judge caused a political crisis. Behind this lies the larger question of how much influence politicians should have on the judges whose job it is to control them.

Are the personal ties between the branches of government problematic or do they contribute to mutual understanding? How can the Federal Constitutional Court ensure that it does not engage in politics itself? And how can the independence of the court be secured in the long term? Noah Drautzburg (staff member at IRP Trier) discusses these issues with former Federal Constitutional Court judge Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Gertrude Lübbe-Wolff (Bielefeld).

All episodes are available on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts!

The IRP will continue to publish further episodes on current legal policy issues in the future. Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding the podcast? Then please feel free to send an email to irpsek@uni-trier.de

On December 1, 2025, Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg gave a lecture on algorithmic fairness at Sciences Po in Paris together with Christophe Pérignon.

The full program can be viewed here.
 

Large Language Models like ChatGPT are capable of creating legal articles and students’ essays in seconds. Is this the future of how we, as lawyers, will work and reason? And what does this development mean for the future of legal studies? After all, writing legal essays forms an important part of legal studies and the law exam in the German system. 

Before addressing these important questions it is helpful to examine how LLMs currently perform when in writing law essays. And that’s exactly what we did in today’s Public International Law seminar at Trier University. The students of the IBID-Master (International Relations and Diplomacy) were assigned legal topics ranging from the Israel Gaza conflict to the possible role of referenda or hybrid international criminal courts in a post-war scenario for Ukraine. The students instructed a LLM to write the legal essay and had to verify if the AI result was 1. correct, 2. complete and 3. properly relied on academic sources.

What were the results of our inquiry? On the one hand, the AI essays provided a good (80/20) and easily readable starting point to get to know basic facts of the topic. On the other hand, we noticed several problems. Many of the texts invented individual sources - that’s the common problem of “hallucination”. Most of the texts were not comprehensive, but concentrated on some issues (current facts, prominent facts) and neglected others (historical facts, less known facts). The introduction tended to be dead boring following the model “X is a very important/relevant topic”. But most importantly, legal reasoning – starting from a legal source and linking it to a topic / fact / situation in the real world – did not work at all. 

What follows from these findings? Apparently, LLMs based on web sources are not (yet) capable of writing law essays that meet the necessary qualitative standards. However, that could change soon – if the LLMs relied on specialized legal sources and if legal reasoning could be better built in the LLM model. 

We will check again next semester…

 

Online disinformation is an important aspect of today's online ecosystem. How can disinformation be defined, what damage does it cause, and how can it be combated by society and through legislation? It is crucial to discuss these questions not only from a national perspective, but also from a comparative and European perspective (and with regard to the DSA). Thanks to Paolo Passaglia, lawyers from all over Europe gathered at the Università di Pisa to exchange their views on this topic on the basis of national reports. 

How can parliaments protect themselves against anti-constitutional and criminal activities by the staff of members of parliament and parliamentary groups? This question is becoming increasingly relevant after incidents ranging from threats and espionage to anti-constitutional activities by parliamentary staff have come to light. Today, the issue was discussed at a hearing of the Hessian state parliament. To protect its ability to function, the state parliament plans to deny employees access to parliamentary facilities, specifically buildings and IT infrastructure. It should also be possible to withdraw state funding for employees from members of parliament and parliamentary groups. There was broad consensus among those heard regarding the constitutionality of the planned measures, but considerations of expediency may still be taken into account in the specific design.

The written statements can be viewed here.

In beautiful weather, winemaker Oberbillig led a tour through the Wingert (Moselle Franconian; standard German “Weinberg,” Baden “die Reben”) of the Deutschherrenhof and explained new cultivation trends—including wine tasting, of course. Prior to this, Tessa Hillermann had reported on her work as head of department at the Saarland Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Women, and Health. A wonderful tradition, Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg was very happy to see everyone again!

This winter semester, Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg is once again offering a reading colloquium on the fundamentals and critique of law. This time, the focus will be on constitutional history and comparative law. It deals with the history of women's suffrage, freedom of expression, and a look at the state in the 1970s... Everyone is warmly invited to read the texts and join in the discussion!

Returning home with the very best impressions of the constitutional law conference in Salzburg. Many thanks to Benjamin Kneihs and his team at the University of Salzburg for the excellent organization, to the board, and to the speakers for their truly outstanding presentations.

Next year it's Bielefeld's turn...

On September 7, Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg gave an interview to Deutschlandfunk radio for the “Hintergrund” program on the topic of anti-constitutionalism. The interview covers not only the AfD, but also the Radikalenerlass (Radicals Decree) and the Weimar Republic. The episode can be listened to here.

As AI technologies rapidly reshape societies, they pose both tremendous opportunities and serious risks—especially to fundamental rights. In response, the European Union has enacted the groundbreaking AI Act: a legal framework designed to foster innovation while safeguarding democratic values, human autonomy, and the rule of law. But has this delicate balance been struck successfully?

 This volume, emerging from the 2024 annual conference of the Institute for Digital Law Trier (IRDT), critically examines the EU’s rights-driven approach to AI regulation. From the perspectives of leading scholars and practitioners—including those directly involved in drafting and implementing the Act—it offers deep insights into the legal, ethical, and technical foundations of the AI Act and its global significance. With contributions on prohibited AI practices, the risk-based regulatory model, and key obligations like data governance and human oversight, the book explores how AI can be regulated to protect fundamental rights without stifling innovation. The book concludes with a comparative view on AI regulation from the United States and Asia.

The book can be read here.

The thirteenth episode of the podcast series “Im Treff – Trierer rechtspolitische Gespräche” (In the Meeting – Trier Legal Policy Discussions), produced by the Institute for Legal Policy at the University of Trier (IRP), has been released:

“How can a non-binding opinion sharpen international climate law?”

What are the climate protection obligations of states under international law? And what happens if they fail to fulfill them? These questions have been highly controversial for decades. At the request of the UN General Assembly, the International Court of Justice has now published a landmark advisory opinion intended to answer these questions. Among other things, it comments on the 2-degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement, a possible human right to a clean environment, and the question of whether states can claim compensation for natural disasters caused by climate change.

As many answers as the Court's advisory opinion provides, it immediately raises just as many new questions. What significance does this advisory opinion have for international environmental law? Can we now expect a wave of lawsuits from the Global South, and what means does international law offer to actually hold states accountable for violations of the law? And could the opinion ultimately even influence German law? Our colleague Noah Drautzburg discussed these questions with Prof. Dr. Alexander Proelß (Hamburg).

All episodes are available on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts!

On June 14, 2025, an article by Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg appeared on the Verfassungsblog entitled “No money for enemies of the constitution in parliament? On the admissibility of funding restrictions for parliamentary staff.”

On April 7, 2025, an article by Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg appeared on the Verfassungsblog (Constitutional Law Blog) entitled “Public relations as constitutional protection – The Constitutional Court of Rhineland-Palatinate sees exceptions to the requirement of neutrality.”

An article by research assistants Ann-Sophie Weber and Bernhard Weiler entitled “Enemies of the constitution in government – what happens now?” has been published in the journal Die Öffentliche Verwaltung (DÖV) (DÖV 2025, 372).

The expert opinion of 17 constitutional law professors on the prospects of success of a party ban against the Alternative for Germany party caused a stir in November 2024. Following on from this, this article discusses the legal consequences of a party ban in more detail. In addition to the well-known and much-discussed legal consequence of the loss of legislative mandates, the question arises as to whether such a loss of mandate would also affect executive offices.

Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg and research assistant Pia Diemath have published an article in the Juristenzeitung (JZ 2025, 373) entitled “Political Targeting in the EU.” 

The article takes a critical look at the new EU regulation on transparency and targeting in political advertising. It questions the regulatory objective and its implementation and, taking into account the GDPR and DSA, examines where the legislator has overshot the mark in its efforts to restrict manipulative or discourse-hostile forms of election campaigning.

Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg will be represented in teaching by Dr. Vanessa Hellmann in the coming summer semester 2025. Dr. Hellmann conducts research in particular in the field of German and European constitutional law, especially on questions of fundamental rights dogmatics and constitutional issues of electoral law. The upcoming courses can be found on our website here.

Photo: University of Bielefeld

On February 26, 2025, an article by Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg was published on the Verfassungsblog with the title “Wahlkreissieger ohne Bundestagssitz? - Effects and reform options”.

On February 13, 2025, Netzpolitik.org published an interview with Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg entitled “Illegal election advertising with taxpayers' money”. The article examines the funding and legality of MPs' social media posts.

The yearbook of the 67th Bitburger Gespräche on the topic of “Reform of public broadcasting - status and perspectives” has been published by Beck Verlag. It contains all the speeches given at the conference. The contributions deal with the situation of public broadcasting, present explanations for this situation and shed light on the possibilities and limits of a reform of the ÖRR.

ISBN 978 3 406 83066 2

The yearbook can be purchased here. The articles can also be found here on the homepage of the Institut for Legal Policy (IRP).

A new volume has been published in the open access series “digital | recht Staat und digitale Gesellschaft”, which is supported by the Institute for Digital Law Trier (IRDT):

Volume 7, published by Dr. Anna Höning (born Michel) on October 28, 2024: External legal control of the intelligence services

The eleventh episode of the podcast series “Im Treff - Trierer rechtspolitische Gespräche” produced by the Institute for Legal Policy at the University of Trier (IRP) has been released:

“Do future generations already have rights today?”

Do we need to expand our understanding of civil liberties in order to make the Constitution fit for the future? The Federal Constitutional Court brought new attention to this question with its climate decision in 2021, but it could also arise in connection with national debt or social systems. Prof. Dr. Svenja Behrendt (Mannheim) agrees, but at the same time criticizes the Federal Constitutional Court's conceptual solution.

What are its problems? How else could such liberties of future generations be understood? And what impact could this have today? Noah Drautzburg (Research Associate at IRP Trier) was able to talk about this with Prof. Dr. Svenja Behrendt.

All episodes are available on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts!

The IRP will continue to publish further episodes on current legal policy topics in the future. Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding the podcast? Then please send an e-mail to irpsekuni-trierde.

The podcast series “Im Treff” by the Institute for Legal Policy at Trier University (IRP) is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcast and Amazon Music.

The podcast features discussions with experts on current legal policy issues and developments in society, case law and legislation.

A new volume has been published in the open access publication series “digital | recht Staat und digitale Gesellschaft” supported by the Institute for Digital Law Trier (IRDT):

Volume 5 published by Sebastian Golla on August 12, 2024: Die kriminalbehördliche Informationsordnung

On 9 July 2024, Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg took part in a discussion and networking evening organized by Dr. Daniela Kolbe-Hanna (project coordinator of the mentoring programme) and Dr. Claudia Seeling (Central Equal Opportunities Officer at Trier University) as part of the mentoring programme of the Equal Opportunities Office on the topic of “Breaking through the glass ceiling - making hurdles visible”.

As part of a panel discussion, Prof. Dr. Eva Martha Eckkrammer (President of Trier University), Dr. Ulrike Graßnick (Chancellor of Trier University), Prof. Dr. Sabine Arndt-Lappe (Vice Dean FB II/Anglistics at Trier University), Julia Lübcke (Estate Director Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier GbR), Dr. Silke Stapel-Weber (former Director General at the European Central Bank) and Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg (Dean FB V/Legal Studies at the University of Trier) talked about hurdles and obstacles in their professional lives and encouraged women to continue on their path.

Further information can be found here.

Against the backdrop of the European elections on June 9, 2024, our research associate Ralf Michael Gitzen legally classifies election posters with the slogan “Stop the genocide in Gaza!” in the Trierischer Volksfreund of June 3, 2024. The article containing this classification can also be accessed online here. We hope you enjoy reading it!

The new open access series „Schriften des IRDT | Trier Studies on Digital Law", published by the new Förderverein Recht und Digitalisierung e.V. (VRD), has been launched.

Volume 1 contains contributions by Lea Katharina Kumkar, Martin Steinebach, Antje von Ungern-Sternberg, Mattias Wendel, Florence G'Sell and Ruth Janal on the topic of the recent IRDT-Herbsttagung:

Content Regulation in the European Union: The Digital Services Act.

Volume 1 is available here. The works in the series are also available as print-on-demand.

Also in the summer semester 2023, the Institut für Recht und Digitalisierung Trier (IRDT) invites you to the Trierer Gesprächen zu Recht und Digitalisierung (Trier Talks on Law and Digitalization). These are under the heading: „Cyberwarfare".
On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., Prof. Dr. David Roth-Isigkeit (Deutsche Universität für Verwaltungswissenschaften Speyer) will speak first on the topic of „Cyberwar and International Law: The Stony Road to a Digital World Peace Order". This will be followed by a presentation by Dr. Elisabeth Hoffberger-Pippan (Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung) on „Russia's Cyberwar in Ukraine."

On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., Prof. Dr. Tristan Barczak (Universität Passau) will speak on „Constitutional Issues of Hackbacks" and Dr. Carolyn Moser (Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht Heidelberg) will follow with „A European Law Classification of Hackbacks."

The events will take place in hybrid form and are open to all interested parties. Participation in attendance (Building C, HS 5) does not require prior registration. However, participation is also possible via Zoom.

For more information, please visit https://irdt.uni-trier.de/events/tgrd-cyberwar-und-int-cybersicherheit/ and https://irdt.uni-trier.de/events/tgrd-hackbacks/. You can access the participation link shortly before the event at the aforementioned URLs.

The Institut für Recht und Digitalisierung (IRDT) is pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Ivana Jelić, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights, will give a lecture on „Freedom of Speech in the Digital Sphere" at an IRDT Lecture on Monday, May 22, 2023, at 3 pm.

The event will take place at Trier University (Room E 51) and is open to the public. It offers lawyers, academics, and students interested in human rights issues an excellent opportunity to engage in conversation with a leading expert in the field. Following the lecture, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in dialogue with Prof. Dr. Jelić.
Event language: English

In the podcast series „Im Treff - Trierer rechtspolitische Gespräche" produced by the Institute for Legal Policy at the University of Trier (IRP), the eighth episode has been released:

„Rechtsstaatlichkeit in der Europäischen Union“ („Rule of Law in the European Union.")

What is the state of the rule of law in the European Union? What instruments are available to the association of states to counteract questionable tendencies and how effective are they? Noah Drautzburg (Research Fellow at IRP Trier) will talk about this with Dr. Katarina Barley (SPD, MEP, Vice President of the European Parliament). They discuss, among other things, the perspectives of Art. 7 and infringement proceedings, the situation in Hungary and Poland, and the right way to deal with threats of withdrawal by Hungary.
All episodes available on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts!

In the JuristenZeitung (JZ 2023, 403) report research associate Noah Drautzburg  and research associate Thomas Kemper about the 66th Bitburger Gespräche, which took place in Trier on January 12 and 13, 2023. The event, organized by the Gesellschaft für Rechtspolitik (gfr) and the Institut für Rechtspolitik an der Universität Trier (IRP), was devoted to the topic of „Stratetic Litigation - the Enforcement of Collective Interests before German Courts."

The article in the JZ is now available here (Mohr Siebeck Verlag).

Numerous conflicts about religion are present in society and politics and are fought out legally, e.g. bans on burqas in public or exemptions from school lessons on religious grounds. These and other topics will be dealt with in this lecture. In particular, it will be shown how classical national law (especially freedom of religion according to Art. 4 GG) is increasingly influenced by the requirements of the ECHR and European law.

At the same time, the course is designed as a „reading course", because after a short input by the lecturer, the material is to be worked out together with the students by reading central court decisions. Thus, the methodology of how to read, understand, classify and criticize decisions of the BVerfG, the ECJ and the ECtHR will be taught.

The course is aimed at all interested students from the first semester onwards. It is also a component of Focus 1 (Fundamentals of European Legal Development). The final exam can be used to obtain a required certificate for the „Studium fundamentale" certificate.

Further information can also be found here.

In the fourth year of its existence, the Institut für Recht und Digitalisierung (IRDT), of which the chair Antje von Ungern-Sternberg is a director, can be proud of having established itself as a research institute in the German-speaking world. In the past year, the IRDT was able to consolidate this position and to turn to internationalization in a special way, i.e. to set international projects on track and to deepen existing international contacts.

Click here for a detailed version of the report.

On May 3, 2023, the Institut für Rechtspolitik an der Universität Trier (IRP) invites you to an online lecture by constitutional law expert Prof. Dr. Christoph Möllers (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) on the traffic light electoral reform and a subsequent classification by sociologist and chair of the German Society for Electoral Research Prof. Dr. Sigrid Roßteutscher (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt a.M.). In addition, Mr. Michael Frieser (Member of the Bundestag and legal advisor to the CDU/CSU Bundestag faction) will contribute a co-lecture. After the presentations, there will be an opportunity for discussion. The online event will start at 18:30 via Zoom.

Cordial invitation to this! Registrations to irpsek@uni-trier.de.

The dissertation„Der Schulfriede als Schranke der Religionsfreiheit" („School Peace as a Barrier to Religious Freedom"), supervised by Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg and written by former chair member Dr. Joshua Moir, has been published by Mohr Siebeck Verlag. The work is available under ISBN 978-3-16-161776-8.

Prof. Dr. Dr. Helmut Goerlich has reviewed the publication in the German Administrative Gazette (DVBl. 2023, 590). The article is available here (Carl Heymanns Verlag/Wolters Kluwer).

On April 1, 2023, Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg took over the office of Dean of Faculty V - Law at Trier University from her predecessor Prof. Dr. Benjamin Raue. The Vice Dean is Prof. Dr. Mohamad El-Ghazi.

Research assistant Manuel Beh (Institut für Deutsches und Europäisches Wasserwirtschaftsrecht und Lehrstuhl für Öffentliches Recht Prof. Dr. Michael Reinhardt, LL.M. (Cantab.), Universität Trier) has published an article in the Bonner Rechtsjournal (BRJ 2023, 52) entitled „Human Right to Covid-19 Vaccines? - A Question of International Law Solidarity." This is based on his seminar paper written in SoSe 2022 in the focus „European and International Law" on the topic „Solidarity in International and European Law" with Prof. Dr. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg. You can access the journal here (Bonner Rechtsjournal).

On March 29, 2023, members of Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg's team participated in a field trip to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg organized by the Chair of Prof Dr. Birgit Peters. They visited the hearings (Grand Chamber) in the cases Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland (application no. 53600/20) and Carême v. France (application no. 7189/21).

The 82nd volume of the „Veröffentlichungen der Vereinigung der Deutschen Staatsrechtslehrer“ contains the papers and discussions of the conference of the Association of German Teachers of Constitutional Law in Bremen from October 5 to 7, 2022. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg dealt with „Solidarity Communities" in the context of the second topic of deliberation, „Belonging and Participation".

The volume is available here (De Gruyter).

A new volume has been published in the open access publication series „digital | recht Staat und digitale Gesellschaft” supported by the Institut für Recht und Digitalisierung (IRDT):

Volume 4 published by Manuela Wagner, Oliver Vettermann et al. on February 27, 2023: Responsible handling of IT security vulnerabilities: problem situations and optimization options for an efficient interaction between IT security research and IT managers.

In the JuristenZeitung (JZ 2023, 198), research associate Lara Hausknecht and research associate Gregor Hilger report on the IRDT annual conference in October 2022 on "Content Regulation in the European Union". The article shows the main technical and legal issues regarding content moderation that the international conference participants dealt with and the significant impact of the European Digital Services Act (DSA) on these issues.

The article in the JZ is now available here (Mohr Siebeck Verlag).

The proceedings of the 65th Bitburger Gespräche are now available. The event, organized by the Gesellschaft für Rechtspolitik (gfr) and the Institut für Rechtspolitik an der Universität Trier (IRP), was devoted to the topic of „The Capacity of the Democratic Constitutional State to Act in Times of Crisis." The volume contains contributions by Tristan Barczak, Udo Di Fabio, Horst Dreier, Katarina Barley, Uwe Volkmann, Thomas Darnstädt, Aurore Gaillet and Eckhard Lübkemeier.

The conference proceedings are available under ISBN 978-3-406-79964-8 (C.H.Beck Verlag).

In the podcast series „Im Treff – Trierer rechtspolitische Gespräche" produced by the Institut für Rechtspolitik (IRP), the seventh episode has been released:

„The Triage Law - Successful Regulation or Missed Opportunity?"

With the Triage Law (§ 5c IfSG), has the German Bundestag created a regulation that can prevent discrimination in the allocation of scarce intensive care capacities? How should the BVerfG's triage decision of December 16, 2021 be evaluated? Thomas Kemper (research associate at IRP Trier) talks about this with Prof. Dr. Steffen Augsberg (Giessen, member of the German Ethics Council).

All episodes available on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts!

This winter semester 2022/23 the Institute for Digital Law Trier (IRDT) invites again for the Talks of Trier about Digital Law (Trierer Gespräche). Those are concerning the topic: “Sicherheitslücken“ (“security holes“)

On the 17^th January 2023 Prof. Dr. Thomas Wischmeyer (Universität Bielefeld) will talk about security holes approved by the state. On the 7^th January 2023 will follow a presentation by Prof. Dr. Christian Gomille (Universität des Saarlandes) with the title: „Der Feind im eigenen Haus? – (Vertragliche) Ansprüche auf Sicherheits-Updates“ (The enemy in your own house? – (Contractual) Claims for security updates“).

Just like last year, the IRDT will also hand out certificates for participations for those students who attended both events and participated actively in the discussion (at least one contribution per event).

For the meetings access data, please, send an e-mail to irdtuni-trierde (until 18 o’clock on the events day).

In 2023 the Gesellschaft für Rechtspolitik (company for Legal Policy) (gfr) and the Institut für Rechtspolitik an der Universität Trier (Insitute for Legal Policy Trier) (IRP) organize the Bitburger Gespräche (Talks of Bitburg). The topic of the 66. Talk on 12th and 13th January 2023 in Trier is: „Strategic Litigation – die Durchsetzung kollektiver Interessen vor deutschen Gerichten“  („Strategic Litigation – the execution of collective interests at German courts“.

The event is non-public and only for invited guest. The contributions will be published in due course.

The publishers C.H. Beck and Mohr Siebeck allow the Institut für Rechtspolitik (Institute for Legal Policy) (IRP) to download all single contributions of the Bitburger Gespräche (Talks of Bitburg) and the „Bitburger Gespräche in München“ („Talks of Bitburg in Munich“) in pdf-format for free.


The contributions can be found here.
Further informations to former kinds of events and to the yearbook are available on the website of the IRP.

Now, the “Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence – Interdisciplinary Perspectives” (Vöneky/Kellmeyer/Mueller/Burgard (eds.)) were published as e-books and, further more, as printed versions. Antje von Ungern-Sternberg contributed with an article with the title “Discriminatory AI and the Law – Legal Standards for Algorithmic Profiling”.

The whole handbook is available open acces and can be found here. To the contribution by Prof. Dr. von Ungern-Sternberg follow here.

The printed version of the handbook is obtailnable with the ISBN 978-1-00-920786-7.