Renate Jaeger (born 30 December 1940) is a German lawyer and a former
judge of the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...
. Her term at the Court expired on 30 December 2010.
Early life
Jaeger was born in
Darmstadt, a city in the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...
, Germany, and studied law at
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
,
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
and
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
. In 1968, after completing her
legal training, she became a judge at the ''Sozialgericht'' of
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...
in
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
. The ''Sozialgericht'' ('social court') is the lowest of three courts dealing with
social security
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
matters, the higher courts being the ''Landessozialgericht'' (state level) and national ''Bundessozialgericht'' (
Federal Social Court of Germany
The Federal Social Court (''Bundessozialgericht'') is the German federal court of appeals for social security cases, mainly cases concerning the public health insurance, long-term care insurance, pension insurance and occupational accident insu ...
).
Judicial career
Between 1970 and 1971, Jaeger was seconded as a research assistant to the ''Bundessozialgericht'', and in 1974 was promoted to sit on the ''Landessozialgericht'' for North Rhine-Westphalia, remaining there until 1987. From 1976 to 1979, she was again seconded as a research assistant, this time to the ''Bundesverfassungsgericht'', the
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its in ...
. In 1986, she was promoted to Presiding Judge at the ''Landessozialgericht'', and in 1987 was called to join the ''Bundessozialgericht''.
As well as being a member of the Federal Social Court, Jaeger was appointed in 1988 to sit on the State Constitutional Court of North Rhine-Westphalia. From 1991 to 1994, she took on a lectureship at the
University of Münster
The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of stud ...
. On 24 March 1994, she was appointed a judge of the
Federal Constitutional Court (''Bundesverfassungsgericht'') in the First Senate. She was also appointed Liaison Officer between the Court and the
Council of Europe's
Venice Commission
The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...
.
On 28 April 2004, Jaeger was elected by the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The Assembly is made up ...
to be a judge on the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...
, based in
Strasbourg,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, with effect from 1 November that year. On 14 October, she received an honorary doctorate by the
University of Münster
The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of stud ...
, and that Autumn was awarded the Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
(''Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern und Schulterband''). She was succeeded at the Federal Constitutional Court by Reinhard Gaier. On 2 July 2009, she was elected vice-president of one of the Court's Sections. Her term at the Court ended on 30 December 2010, and she was succeeded by
Angelika Nussberger.
Charity
Jaeger is a member of the board of trustees of
Aktion Deutschland Hilft, an alliance of German emergency aid organisations.
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaeger, Renate
1940 births
Judges of the European Court of Human Rights
Justices of the Federal Constitutional Court
Living people
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
Jurists from Darmstadt
Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
University of Cologne alumni
University of Lausanne alumni
Academic staff of the University of Münster
German women judges
German women academics
Constitutional court women judges
20th-century German judges
21st-century German judges
German judges of international courts and tribunals
20th-century women judges
21st-century women judges
20th-century German women
21st-century German women