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Monika Polzin
Univ.Prof. Dr. Monika Polzin, LL.M. (NYU)
Professor and Head of the Institute
P +43-1-313 36-6791
F +43-1-313 36-90 6791
Building D3, 3rd floor, room 3.440
Consulting hours: by appointment per e-mail
Curriculum Vitae
1977: Born in Lahn/Gießen
1996–2001: Studied Law in Hanover, Kiel, and at the University of Surrey (England)
2002–2004: Research Assistant at the University of Basel
2004: Doctorate
2004-2006: Legal Clerkship at the Higher Regional Court of Munich
2006-2007: LL.M. studies at New York University School of Law as a Hugo Grotius Scholar
2007-2010: Lawyer in Munich
2010-2020: Professor (W 1) for Public Law with a focus on International Law at the University of Augsburg
2017: Habilitation at the Goethe University Frankfurt a.M., awarded the venia legendi for Public Law, International Law, and European Law
2017-2020: Visiting Professor at universities in Berlin, Potsdam, Göttingen, and Munich
2018-2020: Member of the Bavarian Constitutional Court
Since September 2020: University Professor of Public Law and Public International Law at the Vienna University of Economics and Business
2022: WU Best Paper Award for the article: "The Basic Structure Doctrine and its German and French Origins – A Tale about Migration, Integration and the Waters of Forgetfulness, Indian Law Review 2021", pages 45-61; Link
January 2024: Visiting Professor at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Since January 2024: Head of the newly established Institute for the Internationalization of Law.
Publications
Prof. Dr. Monika Polzin, LLM. (NYU) regularly publishes in English, French, and German in renowned international and national (peer-reviewed) journals on topics related to International Law, European Law, and the vertical internationalization of law, among others in Germany, USA, and India. Her key publications include in particular: Emotion and the vertical separation of powers: Ultra-vires review by national (constitutional) courts, and EU and international law, Vienna Journal on International Constitutional Law (ICL), 2022, 16/3, 285-325; The Basic Structure Doctrine and its German and French Origins – A Tale about Migration, Integration and the Waters of Forgetfulness, Indian Law Review 2021, 45-61; Authentic Interpretations and International Courts: Like Tom and Jerry or Calvin and Hobbes?, Temple International and Comparative Law Journal (TEMPLE INT'L & COMP. L.J.) vol. 33/2, 2019, 247-278 and Constitutional Identity, Unconstitutional Amendments and the Idea of Constituent Power – the Development of the Doctrine of Constitutional Identity in German Constitutional Law, International Journal of Constitutional Law 2016, 411-434.
Recent Publications:
Commentary of Art. 8 UNC
Prof. Monika Polzin, LL.M. (NYU) wrote the commentary to Art. 8 of the United Nations Charter (UNC).
Art. 8 UNC states that “The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs.”
The Global Illiberal Dawn: Toward a Definition of ‘Authoritarian International Law Norms’
Currently, the community of states is taking an autocratic turn, and the question arises how this process will affect the international law system. In order to measure a possible autocratization of international law, the article proposes, for the first time, an abstract and normative definition of authoritarian international law norms.
Constitutional Identity
Cracking the Genetic Code of the Constitution
In: Deciphering the Genome of Constitutionalism The Foundations and Future of Constitutional Identity
The chapter describes first the importance of Jacobsohn’s work to constitutional theory in general as it relies on the ideas of dynamism, fluidity, disharmony and imperfection to describe a constitution’s functioning. It then focuses on the German constitutional conflict on binding electoral gender quotas in order to illustrate the pertinence of his theory that describes so aptly the functioning of a constitution. It concludes with the finding that, in terms of constitutional theory, Jacobsohn has indeed cracked the genetic code of a constitution. Link
Activities as a Speaker
Prof. Dr. Monika Polzin, LL.M. (NYU) regularly speaks about International Law and European Law as well as the vertical internationalization of law at national and international scientific conferences in Europe, Asia, and the USA.. In 2023, she gave a lecture at the “Staatsrechtslehrertagung” in Bochum (Germany) on the topic "Supranational and Cross-Border Administration – New Forms of the Exercise of Sovereign Power".
Current lectures in 2024 include:
"A Conversation on Doctrine of Basic Structure and Constitutional Democracy: The German and Malaysian Approach", Speakers: Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Shad Faruqi and Prof. Dr. Monika Polzin, LL.M. (NYU), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, January 26, 2024.
"Union Citizenship as a Legal Relationship", Conference: The Legal Relationship - A Change in Perspective in Public Law?, Administrative Court Vienna, March 21-22, 2024 (in German). (https://www.rechtsverhaeltnis.org/)
Expert Activities
Prof. Dr. Monika Polzin, LL.M. (NYU) regularly serves as an expert in International Law, European Law, and Constitutional Law for private and public institutions both domestically and internationally.
2022: Hearing in Brussels:
In the hearing of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament on the issue "How to change the EU Treaties in order to achieve more gender equality in the EU", Professor Dr. Monika Polzin, LL.M. (NYU) made a statement as an expert. The link to the hearing can be found here. (09:23 to 09:32).
Current Press Contributions
Prof. Dr. Monika Polzin, LL.M. (NYU), is a regular contributor to the press on current issues in Constitutional, International and European law.
On November 19, 2023, a guest article on the war between Hamas and Israel was published in "Die Presse". The article discusses the risk to the UN's credibility due to its failure to condemn Hamas.
Guest article: Middle East: The UNO is playing with its credibility (in German)
Other important press and blog articles deal with the illegality of gender quotas in elections under constitutional (identity) and Union law. See for example: