Basic Law, Article 19, para. 4

Should any person’s rights be violated by public authority, he may have recourse to the courts. If no other jurisdiction has been established, recourse shall be to the ordinary courts. The second sentence of paragraph (2) of Article 10 shall not be affected by this paragraph.

NRW State Constitution, Art. 75 – Art. 76

The Constitutional Court shall decide on...the interpretation of the State Constitution...[and]...on constitutional complaints... [It] shall consist of a president, a vice-president and five additional members.

Hannah Arendt once noted how the Basic Law has two distinct parts: one which establishes state power, and one which limits it. The provisions on how state power is organised fall under the former, and the part concerning basic rights under the latter. To Cristoph Möllers, Art. 19 para. 4 of the Basic Law was a "revolutionary decision” which acts as a “decisive, normative axis” between both parts, because it provides “institutional teeth to the basic rights via the guarantee of judicial control”.

The photograph depicts a closed session of the Constitutional Court of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The seven members of the court conduct the majority of their work via electronic means of communication. In addition, the meet in person at least once a month.