As of September 1, 2019, the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection established an additional Civil Panel at the Federal Court of Justice, which is linked in personnel union with the thus strengthened and expanded Cartel Panel. This is the first part of a grant of two additional senates at the Federal Supreme Court. As of September 1, 2019, the Antitrust Senate and the XIII Civil Senate will be responsible for legal disputes under antitrust law, energy law and public procurement law, as well as legal appeals under the Deprivation of Liberty Act. The allocation of business has been adjusted accordingly with regard to the other civil senates. The Chairman of the Cartel Panel and the new Civil Panel is Prof. Dr. Meier-Beck, who previously headed the X. Civil Panel. Civil Senate as Chairman. In addition, the Cartel Panel and the XIII Civil Panel are composed of the judges at the Federal Court of Justice Prof. Dr. Kirchhoff and Dr. Tolkmitt, the judges at the Federal Court of Justice Dr. Linder and Dr. Picker, and, each with a proportionate workload, the judge at the Federal Court of Justice Dr. Rombach, the judges at the Federal Court of Justice Dr. Bacher and Dr. Schoppmeyer, and the judge at the Federal Court of Justice Dr. Hohoff.
The President of the Federal Court of Justice, Bettina Limperg, commented: “The new senate is an ideal response to the increased scope and importance of antitrust and energy law and at the same time relieves the other civil senates, which have been relieved of tasks or have regained judicial power. I am also pleased that we have succeeded in endowing the Senate with such impressive competence in its initial composition. At the same time, the accommodation of the new Senate has required enormous effort on the part of the Federal Court. The now fully depleted space inventory and further growing space needs will be ongoing issues. The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, the Federal Court of Justice, the Federal Public Prosecutor and the authorities involved in the City of Leipzig and the Free State of Saxony are currently working at full speed on the accommodation solution for the 6th Criminal Senate in Leipzig, which has yet to be established. In contrast to Karlsruhe, Leipzig does not allow even temporary accommodation of the additional staff in the existing building for reasons of space. All parties involved are working intensively together to provide housing very quickly.”
