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Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection

{{short description|Federal ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany}}

{{Infobox government agency

| agency_name = Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection
(BMJV)

| nativename = {{lang|de|Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz}}

| logo = Logo - BMJV (en).png

| logo_width = 250

| logo_caption =

| seal =

| seal_width =

| seal_caption =

| picture =

| picture_width =

| formed = 1 January 1877 as Reichsjustizamt

| preceding =

| dissolved =

| superseding =

| jurisdiction = Government of Germany

| headquarters = Mohrenstraße 37,
10117 Berlin

| region_code = DE-BE

| coordinates = {{Coord|52.5120166489427|13.395873395950355|region:DE-BE_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| employees = 789{{cite web|title=Aufgaben und Organisation|url=https://www.bmjv.de/DE/Ministerium/AufgabenOrganisation/AufgabenOrganisation_node.html}}

| budget = €957 million (2021){{cite web|url=https://www.bundeshaushalt.de/#/2021/soll/ausgaben/einzelplan/14.html|title=Bundeshaushalt|website=www.bundeshaushalt.de|access-date=7 May 2021}}

| minister1_name = Stefanie Hubig

| minister1_pfo = Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection

| chief1_name = Annette Kramme

| chief1_position = Parliamentary Secretary of State

| chief2_name =

| chief2_position =

| chief3_name = Frank Schwabe

| chief3_position = Permanent Secretary of State

| chief4_name =

| chief4_position =

| parent_agency =

| child1_agency =

| child2_agency =

| website = {{website|https://www.bmj.de}}

| footnotes =

}}

The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection ({{langx|de|Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz}}; abbreviated BMJV) is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Under the German federal system, individual States are most responsible for the administration of justice and the application of penalties. The Federal Ministry of Justice devotes itself to creating and changing law in the classic core areas related to Constitutional law. The Ministry also analyzes the legality and constitutionality of laws prepared by other ministries. The German Federal Court of Justice, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (GPTO), and the German Patent Court all fall under its scope, including affairs on court administration. The ministry is officially located in Berlin.Federal Ministry of Justice {{cite web |url=http://www.bmj.de/EN/FederalOffice/_node.html |title=BMJ - Federal Office |access-date=2012-06-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504131207/http://www.bmj.de/EN/FederalOffice/_node.html |archive-date=2012-05-04 }} Official website] {{in lang|en}} retrieved 1-Jun-2012

The BMJ was founded on 1 January 1877 as the Imperial Justice Office ({{lang|de|Reichsjustizamt}}). After Germany became a republic in 1919, it was renamed {{lang|de|Reichsministerium der Justiz}} (Imperial ministry of Justice). The ministry was refounded as the Bundesministerium der Justiz in 1949. In several laws predating 1949, the ministry and the minister are however referred to as Reichsministerium der Justiz and Reichsminister der Justiz, respectively. This has gradually been replaced with the new name and title when laws have been amended, most recently in 2010.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bgbl.de/Xaver/text.xav?bk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&start=%2F%2F*%5B%40attr_id%3D'bgbl110s1864.pdf'%5D&wc=1&skin=WC |title=BGBL/de |access-date=2011-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718074331/http://www.bgbl.de/Xaver/text.xav?bk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&start=%2F%2F*%5B%40attr_id%3D'bgbl110s1864.pdf'%5D&wc=1&skin=WC |archive-date=2013-07-18 |url-status=dead }}

Compentencies

In Germany's federal system, the administration of justice, the judiciary and law enforcement are primarily the responsibility of the Länder. The central task of the Federation in the field of justice is to safeguard and develop the rule of law. Legislative activity corresponds to this objective. It includes the preparation of new laws and the preparation and amendment or repeal of laws in the classical areas of law, namely civil law, criminal law, commercial and company law, copyright and industrial property law, court constitutional and procedural law for the individual jurisdictions (with the exception of labour and social courts), as well as service and professional law for judges, public prosecutors, lawyers and notaries. In addition, the Ministry is responsible for the tasks arising from the establishment of German unity in the areas of criminal, administrative and professional rehabilitation and "open property issues". The Ministry also examines the legal form of all draft laws and regulations prepared by other ministries in order to ensure that the legislation is compatible with the Basic Law.

The Ministry's portfolio includes the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe with two criminal divisions in Leipzig, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe with an office in Leipzig, the Federal Office of Justice with the Federal Central Register in Bonn, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, the Federal Fiscal Court in Munich, the Federal Patent Court in Munich and the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) in Munich with offices in Berlin and Jena.

List of ministers

File:Bundesministerium der justiz.hauptsitz.eingangsbereich.JPG

=State Secretaries for Justice, 1876–1918=

{{Main | Reichsjustizamt}}

=Ministers of Justice, 1918–1945=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan=2| {{abbr|No.|Number}}

! rowspan=2| Portrait

! rowspan=2| Name
(Born-Died)

! colspan=3| Term

! rowspan=2| Political Party

! rowspan=2| Government

Took office

! Left office

! Time in office

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 1

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R11112, Versailles, Gruppenbild deutscher Friedensverhändler Otto Landsberg (cropped).jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Otto Landsberg

| born_year = 1869

| died_year = 1957

| term_start = 13 February 1919

| term_end = 20 June 1919

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1919|02|13|1919|06|20}}

| alt_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany

| cabinet = Scheidemann

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 2

| image = Eugen Schiffer (1919).jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Eugen Schiffer

| born_year = 1860

| died_year = 1954

| term_start = 3 October 1919

| term_end = 26 March 1920

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1919|10|03|1920|03|26}}

| alt_party = German Democratic Party

| cabinet = Bauer

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 3

| image = Andreas Blunck.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Andreas Blunck

| born_year = 1871

| died_year = 1933

| term_start = 26 March 1920

| term_end = 8 June 1920

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1920|03|26|1920|06|08}}

| alt_party = German Democratic Party

| cabinet = Müller I

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 4

| image = Dr. Rudolf Heinze.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Rudolf Heinze

| born_year = 1865

| died_year = 1928

| term_start = 25 June 1920

| term_end = 4 May 1921

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1920|06|25|1921|05|04}}

| alt_party = German People's Party

| cabinet = Fehrenbach

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 5
{{small|(2)}}

| image = Eugen Schiffer (1919).jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Eugen Schiffer

| born_year = 1860

| died_year = 1954

| term_start = 10 May 1921

| term_end = 22 October 1921

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1921|05|10|1921|10|22}}

| alt_party = German Democratic Party

| cabinet = Wirth I

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 6

| image = RadbruchGustav.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Gustav Radbruch

| born_year = 1878

| died_year = 1949

| term_start = 26 October 1921

| term_end = 14 November 1922

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1921|10|26|1922|11|14}}

| alt_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany

| cabinet = Wirth II

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 7
{{small|(4)}}

| image = Carl Rudolph Heinze LCCN2014716723.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Rudolf Heinze

| born_year = 1865

| died_year = 1928

| term_start = 22 November 1922

| term_end = 12 August 1923

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1922|11|22|1923|08|12}}

| alt_party = German People's Party

| cabinet = Cuno

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 8
{{small|(6)}}

| image = RadbruchGustav.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Gustav Radbruch

| born_year = 1878

| died_year = 1949

| term_start = 13 August 1923

| term_end = 3 November 1923

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1923|08|13|1923|11|03}}

| alt_party = Social Democratic Party of Germany

| cabinet = Stresemann I–II

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 9

| image = Emminger, Minister of Justice, 1-24-24 LCCN2014701231.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Erich Emminger

| born_year = 1880

| died_year = 1951

| term_start = 30 November 1923

| term_end = 15 April 1924

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1923|11|30|1924|04|15}}

| alt_party = Bavarian People's Party

| cabinet = Marx I

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = –

| image = |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Kurt Joël

| born_year = 1865

| died_year = 1945

| term_start = 15 April 1924

| term_end = 15 December 1924

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1924|04|15|1924|12|15}}

| acting = y

| alt_party = Independent politician

| cabinet = Marx I–II

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 7

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 102-02063, Reichskabinett Luther I Josef Frenken (cropped).jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Josef Frenken

| born_year = 1854

| died_year = 1943

| term_start = 15 January 1925

| term_end = 21 November 1925

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1924|12|15|1925|11|21}}

| alt_party = Centre Party (Germany)

| cabinet = Luther I

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = –

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1969-008A-07, Hans Luther (cropped).jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Hans Luther

| born_year = 1879

| died_year = 1962

| term_start = 21 November 1925

| term_end = 5 December 1925

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1924|12|21|1925|12|05}}

| acting = y

| alt_party = Independent politician

| cabinet = Luther I

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 8

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0418-503, Wilhelm Marx.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Wilhelm Marx

| born_year = 1863

| died_year = 1946

| term_start = 20 January 1926

| term_end = 12 May 1926

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1926|01|20|1926|05|12}}

| alt_party = Centre Party (Germany)

| cabinet = Luther II
Marx III

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 9

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2007-0217, Johannes Bell.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Johannes Bell

| born_year = 1868

| died_year = 1949

| term_start = 16 May 1926

| term_end = 17 December 1926

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1926|05|16|1926|12|17}}

| alt_party = Centre Party (Germany)

| cabinet = Marx III

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 10

| image = Oskar Hergt LCCN2014717414.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Oskar Hergt

| born_year = 1869

| died_year = 1967

| term_start = 28 January 1927

| term_end = 12 June 1928

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1927|01|28|1928|06|12}}

| alt_party = German National People's Party

| cabinet = Marx III–IV

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 11

| image = Erich Koch-Weser circa 1920.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Erich Koch-Weser

| born_year = 1875

| died_year = 1944

| term_start = 28 June 1928

| term_end = 13 April 1929

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1928|06|28|1929|04|13}}

| alt_party = German Democratic Party

| cabinet = Müller II

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 12

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 102-06783, Reichsverkehrsminister Theodor von Guérard.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Theodor von Guérard

| born_year = 1863

| died_year = 1943

| term_start = 13 April 1929

| term_end = 27 March 1930

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1929|04|13|1930|03|27}}

| alt_party = Centre Party (Germany)

| cabinet = Müller II

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 13

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 102-10783, Johann-Voktor Bredt.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Johann Viktor Bredt

| born_year = 1879

| died_year = 1940

| term_start = 30 March 1930

| term_end = 5 December 1930

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1930|03|30|1930|12|05}}

| alt_party = Economic Party (Germany)

| cabinet = Brüning I

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 14

| image = |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Kurt Joël

| born_year = 1865

| died_year = 1945

| term_start = 5 December 1930

| term_end = 30 May 1932

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1930|12|05|1932|05|30}}

| alt_party = Independent politician

| cabinet = Brüning I–II

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 15

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H13466, Franz Gürtner.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Franz Gürtner

| born_year = 1881

| died_year = 1941

| died = y

| term_start = 1 June 1932

| term_end = 29 January 1941

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1932|06|01|1941|01|29}}

| alt_party = German National People's Party

| alt_party2 = Nazi Party

| cabinet = Papen
Schleicher
Hitler

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 16

| image = Franz Schlegelberger.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Franz Schlegelberger

| born_year = 1876

| died_year = 1970

| term_start = 30 January 1941

| term_end = 20 August 1942

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1941|01|30|1942|08|20}}

| alt_party = Nazi Party

| cabinet = Hitler

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = 17

| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-00627-0504, Dr. Otto Georg Thierack.jpg |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Otto Georg Thierack

| born_year = 1889

| died_year = 1946

| term_start = 20 August 1942

| term_end = 5 May 1945

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1942|08|20|1945|05|05}}

| alt_party = Nazi Party

| cabinet = Hitler
Goebbels

}}

{{Officeholder table

| order2 = –

| image = |bSize = 70

| officeholder = Herbert Klemm

| born_year = 1903

| died_year = 1963

| term_start = 5 May 1945

| term_end = 23 May 1945

| timeinoffice = {{ayd|1945|05|05|1945|05|23}}

| acting = y

| alt_party = Nazi Party

| cabinet = Schwerin von Krosigk

}}

=Federal Ministers, since 1949=

Political Party:

{{legend2|{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}|FDP|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|{{party color|German Party}}|DP|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}}|CSU|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|{{party color|CDU/CSU}}|CDU|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|SPD|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|{{party color|Independent}}|Independent|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! colspan=2| Name
(Born-Died)

!Portrait

! Party

! colspan=2| Term of Office

! Chancellor
(Cabinet)

style="background:#EEEEFF" colspan="7" | {{small|Federal Minister of Justice {{small|(1949–2013, 2021–present)}}
Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection {{small|(2013–2021)}}}}
style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 1

| Thomas Dehler
(1897–1967)

| 75px

| FDP

| 20 September 1949

| 20 October 1953

| Adenauer (I)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 2

| Fritz Neumayer
(1884–1973)

|

| FDP

| 20 October 1953

| 16 October 1956

| rowspan=2|Adenauer (II)

style="background:{{party color|German Party (1947)}}; color:white" | 3

| Hans-Joachim von Merkatz
(1905–1982)

| 75px

| DP

| 16 October 1956

| 29 October 1957

style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}}; color:white" | 4

| Fritz Schäffer
(1888–1967)

| 75px

| CSU

| 29 October 1957

| 14 November 1961

| Adenauer (III)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 5

| Wolfgang Stammberger
(1920–1982)

|

| |FDP

| 14 November 1961

| 19 November 1962

| Adenauer (IV)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 6

| Ewald Bucher
(1914–1991)

| 75px

| FDP

| 14 December 1962

| 27 March 1965

| Adenauer (V)
Erhard (I)

style="background:{{party color|CDU/CSU}}; color:white" | 7

| Karl Weber
(1898–1985)

| 75px

| CDU

| 1 April 1965

| 26 October 1965

| Erhard (I)

style="background:{{party color|Christian Social Union in Bavaria}}; color:white" | 8

| Richard Jaeger
(1913–1998)

| 75px

| CSU

| 26 October 1965

| 30 November 1966

| Erhard (II)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 9

| Gustav Heinemann
(1899–1976)

| 75px

| SPD

| 1 December 1966

| 26 March 1969

| Kiesinger (I)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 10

| Horst Ehmke
(1927–2017)

| 75px

| SPD

| 26 March 1969

| 21 October 1969

| Kiesinger (I)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 11

| Gerhard Jahn
(1927–1998)

| 75px

| SPD

| 22 October 1969

| 7 May 1974

| Brandt (I • II)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 12

| Hans-Jochen Vogel
(1926–2020)

| 75px

| SPD

| 16 May 1974

| 22 January 1981

| Schmidt (I • II • III)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 13

| Jürgen Schmude
(1936–2025)

| 75px

| SPD

| 22 January 1981

| 1 October 1982

| Schmidt (III)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 14

| Hans A. Engelhard
(1934–2008)

| 75px

| FDP

| 4 October 1982

| 18 January 1991

| Kohl (I • II • III)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 15

| Klaus Kinkel
(1936–2019)

| 75px

| No party;
FDP (from 1991)

| 18 January 1991

| 18 May 1992

| Kohl (IV)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 16

| Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
(b. 1951)

| 75px

| FDP

| 18 May 1992

| 17 January 1996

| Kohl (IV • V)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 17

| Edzard Schmidt-Jortzig
(b. 1941)

| 75px

| FDP

| 17 January 1996

| 26 October 1998

| Kohl (V)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 18

| Herta Däubler-Gmelin
(b. 1943)

| 75px

| SPD

| 27 October 1998

| 22 October 2002

| Schröder (I)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 19

| Brigitte Zypries
(b. 1953)

| 75px

| SPD

| 22 October 2002

| 28 October 2009

| Schröder (II)
Merkel (I)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 20
{{small|(16)}}

| Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
(b. 1951)

| 75px

| FDP

| 28 October 2009

| 17 December 2013

| Merkel (II)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 21

| Heiko Maas
(b. 1966)

| 75px

| SPD

| 17 December 2013

| 14 March 2018

| Merkel (III)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 22

| Katarina Barley
(b. 1968)

| 75px

| SPD

| 14 March 2018

| 27 June 2019

| Merkel (IV)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 23

| Christine Lambrecht
(b. 1965)

| 75px

| SPD

| 27 June 2019

| 8 December 2021

| Merkel (IV)

style="background:{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}; color:blue" | 24

| Marco Buschmann
(b. 1977)

| 75px

| FDP

| 8 December 2021

| 7 November 2024

| Scholz (I)

style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}; color:blue" | 25

| Volker Wissing
(b. 1970)

| 75px

| Independent

| 7 November 2024

| 6 May 2025

| Scholz (I)

style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}; color:white" | 26

| Stefanie Hubig
(b. 1968)

| 75px

| SPD

| 6 May 2025

| Incumbent

| Merz (I)

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

Official Website

  • [https://www.bmj.de/ Official homepage in German]
  • [https://www.bmj.de/EN Official homepage in English]

Others

  • [https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/Teilliste_translations.html Official translation of German federal laws/parts] (in German)
  • [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023R0988 Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety] (in English)

{{German Federal Ministries}}

{{GermanJusticeMinisters}}

{{Authority control}}

Justice and Consumer Protection, Federal Ministry of

Justice and Consumer Protection

Category:Ministries established in 1877

Germany

Category:Consumer ministries

Category:1877 establishments in Germany