¹ Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court] 9 Feb. 2010 (Hartz IV), 125 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 175 (__), 1 BvL 1/09, para. 1–220, 2010 (Ger.), available at http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/ls20100209_1bvl000109.html (last visited 4 Nov. 2011).Google Scholar

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³ Sozialgesetzbuch Zweites Buch – Grundsicherung für Arbeitsuchende [SGB II] [Social Code], 24 Dec. 2003, Bundesgesetzblatt, Teil 1 [BGBl. I] at 2954 (Ger.).Google Scholar

⁴ Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__),1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, para. 132.Google Scholar

⁵ Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland [Grundgesetz] [GG] [Basic Law], 23 May 1949, BGBl. at 1 (Ger.), available at http://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/rechtsgrundlagen/grundgesetz/gg.html (last visited 5 Nov. 2011). An English version is available at http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/index.html (last visited 9 Nov. 2011).Google Scholar

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⁸ For two provisions directly referring to the subsistence minimum, see Bundeskindergeldgesetz [BKGG][Federal Child Benefit Act], 10 Nov. 1995, § 6a (Kinderzuschlag) (Ger.), and Einkommenssteuergesetz [EStG][Income Taxation Act], 16 Oct. 1934, §§ 31 (Familienleistungsausgleich), 32 (Kinder, Freibeträge für Kinder) (Ger.); see also Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__),1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, para. 158 as well as the ruling of the Second Chamber of the First Senate of the German Federal Constitutional Court, Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court] 11 Mar. 2010, 1 BvR 3163/09 (Ger.); Karl-Jürgen Bieback, Existenzsicherung ohne Bildung, 58 Recht der Jugend und des Bildungswesens 137, 138–39 (2010), who criticizes the failure of the Hartz IV decision to apply the principle of equality in regard of these provisions.Google Scholar

⁹ See Arnauld, Andreas von, Das Existenzminimum, in Strukturfragen des Sozialverfassungsrechts 251, 252–53 (Andreas von Arnauld & Andreas Musil eds., 2009).Google Scholar

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¹¹ Id. at para. 6.Google Scholar

¹² Id. at paras. 5–23.Google Scholar

¹³ See Gesetz über die Statistik der Wirtschaftsrechnungen privater Haushalte [Act on Statistics of Household Budget Surveys in Private Households] 14 Mar. 1980, Bundesgesetzblatt, Teil 1 [BGBl. I] at 294; see Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__), 1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, paras. 27, 43–44, 57–59, 63–66.Google Scholar

¹⁴ Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__), 1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, paras. 24–26. See Sozialgesetzbuch Sechstes Buch – Gesetzliche Rentenversicherung [SGB VI] [Social Code], 18 Dec. 1989, Bundesgesetzblatt, Teil 1 [BGBl. I] at 2261, 1990 I at 1337, § 68 (Ger.).Google Scholar

¹⁵ See SGB II, § 20(2) in the version as per July 1, 2009, notice of June 17, 2009, BGBl. I at 1342; Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__),1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, paras. 51–81; see also Bittner, supra note 2, at 1945.Google Scholar

¹⁶ See Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__),1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, paras. 68–74.Google Scholar

¹⁷ See id. at paras. 199–203.Google Scholar

¹⁸ See id. at paras. 82–106. See also suspension of proceedings and submission order of Hessisches Landessozialgericht [Higher Social Court of Hesse], 29 Oct. 2008-L 6 AS 336/07; suspension of proceedings and submission order of Bundessozialgericht [BSG] [Federal Social Court], 27 Jan. 2009-B 14 AS 5/08 R; suspension of proceedings and submission order of Bundessozialgericht [BSG] [Federal Social Court], 27 Jan. 2009-B 14/11b AS 9/07 R.Google Scholar

¹⁹ Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__),1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, headnote 1 and para. 135.Google Scholar

²⁰ See id. at paras. 136–37.Google Scholar

²¹ See id. at para. 138.Google Scholar

²² See id. (suggesting that the Constitutional Court, in contrast to the lower courts, only follows the concept of the socio-cultural subsistence minimum without adopting this notion).Google Scholar

²³ See id. at paras. 141, 151–52.Google Scholar

²⁴ See id. at paras. 151–58.Google Scholar

²⁵ Id. at para. 143.Google Scholar

²⁶ Id. at para. 144.Google Scholar

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²⁸ See id. at paras. 147–50.Google Scholar

²⁹ See id. at paras. 159–72.Google Scholar

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³¹ See id. at para. 175.Google Scholar

³² For an explanation of the details of this calculation, see id. at paras. 59, 65, 175, 180, and 200.Google Scholar

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³⁴ See id. at paras. 188–90.Google Scholar

³⁵ See id. at paras. 190–98.Google Scholar

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³⁷ See What are Equivalence Scales?, OECD, available at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/61/52/35411111.pdf (last visited 9 Nov. 2011). This chart is referenced in order to justify the Standard Rate Ordinance BR-Drs. 206/04, at 10–11.Google Scholar

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⁴² Id. Google Scholar

⁴³ Id. at para. 206.Google Scholar

⁴⁴ See id. at paras. 205–06.Google Scholar

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⁴⁷ See id. at para. 217.Google Scholar

⁴⁸ See id. at para. 216.Google Scholar

⁴⁹ See id. at para. 218. See also Wenner, Ulrich, Was folgt aus dem Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts?, Soziale Sicherheit 69, 71 (2010), who points out that such a construction is not new.Google Scholar

⁵⁰ See Hartz IV, 125 BVerfGE 175 (__),1 BvL 1/09 of 9 Feb. 2010, para. 220. On this hardship clause, see Bittner, supra note 2, at 1955.Google Scholar

⁵¹ See, e.g., Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court] 19 Dec. 1951, 1 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 97 (104–05), 1951 (Ger.).Google Scholar

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⁵⁷ 87 BVerfGE 209 (228); see also 96 BVerfGE 375 (399); 115 BVerfGE 118 (152).Google Scholar

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⁶¹ Wallerath, Maximilian, Zur Dogmatik eines Rechts auf Sicherung des Existenzminimums, 63 Juristenzeitung 157, 161 (2008).Google Scholar

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⁶³ Settled case-law since 1 BVerfGE 97 (105); Dreier, Horst, Art. 20(1), in 2 Grundgesez—Kommentar, paras. 31–32 (Horst Dreier ed., 2d ed. 2006); Stefan Huster and Johannes Rux, Article 20, in Beck'scher Online-Kommentar zum Grundgesetz para. 196 (Volker Epping & Christian Hillgruber ed., 10th ed. 2011); Zacher, Hans F., Soziale Gleichheit: Zur Rechtsprechung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts zum Gleichheitssatz und Sozialstaatsprinzip, 93 Archiv des Öffentlichen Rechts 341 et seq. (1968).Google Scholar

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