The Katzenberger Case: Judicial subversion of law and Antisemitism in Weimar and Nazi Germany

 

This talk examines antisemitism and judicial manipulation of law in Nazi Germany through the 1942 case in which the Nuremberg Special Court convicted and executed the Jewish businessman, Leo Katzenberger. The lecture challenges conventional interpretations of Nazi judges' roles, highlighting the extent of judicial agency within an increasingly authoritarian system. Although German Jews were already being deported as part of the "Final Solution," the presiding judge pursued this case vigorously. What motivated such a prosecution at that moment, and what purpose did the trial serve? This lecture analyzes continuities and changes in judicial practice from the Weimar Republic to the Third Reich, offering a more nuanced account that incorporates both judicial responsibility and ideological commitment.

 

Irit Bloch, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary historian specializing in German and Jewish social and legal history. She is currently co-chair of the Law and Legal Network at the German Studies Association. She teaches Modern European History and the History of the Holocaust at Queens College and Hunter College (CUNY).

 

 

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