The Organization

The decision-making body in the Constitutional Court is the Plenary (Plenum). It consists of the president, vice-president and twelve other justices. In addition, there are six substitute justices. They stand in for the regular justices in cases of conflict of interest or illness, for example. The Plenary is in session essentially permanently during the usually quarterly sessions. Those justices that have been selected to the so-called Permanent Reporters (ständiger Referent) prepare "their" cases in such a way that they can be discussed in the Plenary during the session and eventually be determined. Cases that are more easily resolved, in a juridical sense, can be dealt with in the smaller committee, the so-called "small assembly" (kleine Besetzung). In total, over 80 people are employed at the Constitutional Court. Every justice can fall back on two or three clerks. The coordination of the research staff guarantees the required uniformity. In the president's office, the Secretary General ensures a smooth work routine. The operating management office (Geschäftsstelle) registers all incoming cases and sends out the judgments of the Court. The record office (Evidenzbüro) is the comprehensive documentation center of the Court. Work-related material for the assistants of the justices is available in the in-house library. The Constitutional Court has to deal with around 3000 new cases each year. The number of decisions made annually is similarly high. The justices decide around 700 cases each session.
Even though the length of a proceeding cannot always be controlled by the Constitutional Court itself, it fares rather well compared to similar courts worldwide. Only an average of about nine months elapse from the time the case is actually filed with the Court (as opposed to, for instance the time it is announced that an application will be made to the Constitutional Court) to the date the decision is delivered.