HSG - Uni SG - Chair Schmid

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Chair of Public Law with special emphasis on Constitutional Law (FR-HSG)
Tigerbergstrasse 21
CH-9000 St.Gallen

lehrstuhl.schmid@unisg.ch

Prof. Dr. Stefan G. Schmidexpand_less

Full Professor of Public Law with special emphasis on Constitutional Law

Stefan G. Schmid completed his law degree at the University of Zurich (lic. iur. 1998) where he also worked as a research assistant and subsequently gained his doctorate (Dr. iur. 2003). After leaving the university he earned ample practical experience in legislation and judiciary, both on the cantonal and the federal level, most recently with the Public Law Division of the Federal Office of Justice. From 2008 to 2014, he served as an assistant professor of constitutional history at the Institute of Public Law at the University of Bern. He spent the autumn semester of 2010 as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. In 2017 he qualified as a professor of public law, constitutional history and political philosophy at the University of Zurich. On 1st February 2019 he became a full professor of public law with special emphasis on constitutional law at the University of St. Gallen. He is co-director of the Centre for the History of public law and academic director of the PhD program in Law (DLS) at the University of St. Gallen. Prof. Schmid’s main areas of research are state organisation law (including federalism and democracy) in the light of foreign public law as well as recent constitutional history and political philosophy.

Personal profile

News

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On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Federal Constitution of 1874, Stefan G. Schmid will give a presentation at an event at the University of Zurich (“Die Bundesverfassung von 1874: Analysen zum 150-jährigen Jubiläum”) on Friday, 19 April 2024, at 5 p.m.: “Die Bundesverfassung von 1874 als Meilenstein der Demokratiegeschichte”.

On the occasion of the anniversary “175 years of the Federal Constitution”, Stefan G. Schmid will give a short presentation at an event organised by the Canton of Bern (“Ohne Bern keine Bundesverfassung?”) on Saturday, 1 July 2023, at 4 p.m. in the Bern Rathaus: “Wie viel Ausland steckt in der Bundesverfassung von 1848? Eine staatsrechtliche Spurensuche”. It will deal with the influences of foreign constitutional ideas and institutions on the Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848.

The 4th edition of the “St. Gallen Commentary” on the Swiss Federal Constitution has recently been published.

An article by Stefan G. Schmid published in 2018 deals with the currently topical question of whether Switzerland should make 12 September a national day.

Cédric Schad, BLaw, assistant to the chair, and a fellow student conducted an interview with the President of the Swiss Confederation Alain Berset on the occasion of his visit to SQUARE at the University of St.Gallen on 14 March 2023. Berset spoke about the war in Ukraine and Switzerland's position.

A new publication is dedicated to the referendum in the USA and sheds light on its relation to Swiss referendum democracy.

An interview with Stefan G. Schmid and Bernhard Waldmann sheds light on the popular initiative "Volk und Stände entscheiden über dringlich erklärte Bundesgesetze!" ("The people and the cantons decide on urgently declared federal laws!") ("Giacometti Initiative").

At the Carl Hilty Forum event on Tuesday, 5 July 2022, 7 p.m., at Werdenberg Castle, Stefan G. Schmid will speak on the topic of “Carl Hilty und die direkte Demokratie” (“Carl Hilty and direct democracy”) and shed light on Carl Hilty's (1833–1909) contribution as a scholar and politician to the foundation of modern direct democracy in Switzerland.

The Master course HSG im Bundeshaus – Rechtsetzung in Theorie und Praxis led by Prof. Dr. Stefan G. Schmid and Councillor of States Dr. Andrea Caroni took place from 4 to 7 April 2022 in the Federal Palace in Bern and at the University of St.Gallen. One of the highlights of the stay in Bern was a meeting and Q&A session with Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter. She received the participants in the Salon de la Présidence next to the Federal Council chamber, which the students were also allowed to enter as a further highlight.

A publication by Stefan G. Schmid and Micha Herzog discusses the challenges under constitutional law arising from the Covid 19 Act in the light of the referendum of 28 November 2021.

The 7th Scientific Conference of the Forschungsinstitut direkte Demokratie (Research Institute for Direct Democracy) – “Der Kanton Graubünden und sein Beitrag für die direkte Demokratie in der Schweiz” (“The Canton of Grisons and Its Contribution to Direct Democracy in Switzerland”) – will take place on Saturday, 2 October 2021, 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., at the Haus der Begegnung, Ilanz. Stefan G. Schmid will talk about the important Grisons politician and democratic theorist Florian Gengel (1834–1905).

A publication by Stefan G. Schmid, Micha Herzog and Dumenig Stiffler deals with the institution of the retrospective referendum against emergency federal acts in general and the 13 June 2021 referendum on the Covid 19 Act in particular.

Volume XVII of the COMMENTATIONES HISTORIAE IVRIS HELVETICAE has been published and is available online free of charge.

Two publications by Andrea Caroni and Stefan G. Schmid deal with the role of the Swiss federal parliament in the (Corona)-crisis.

Prof. Dr. Stefan G. Schmid’s inaugural lecture on the topic of “Constitutio semper reformanda: permanente Verfassungsrevision als wahre Zauberformel der Schweiz?” will take place on Tuesday, 3 March 2020, 6:15 pm in the library building of the University of St. Gallen, room 09-011.

Volume XVI of the COMMENTATIONES HISTORIAE IVRIS HELVETICAE has been published and is available online free of charge.

Research

Focus

Prof. Schmid conducts research in the fields of constitutional law, recent constitutional history, and political philosophy.

Teaching

Courses

Prof. Schmid teaches various courses in the field of public law.

course catalogue

Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD Theses

Prof. Schmid supervises Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD theses in the field of public law. Please contact the chair with your ideas for topics. The requirements can be found in the official University of St.Gallen fact sheets.

Information for Bachelor’s and Master’s Theses

Please contact the chair via email with your topic suggestion or topic preference. After Prof. Schmid agrees to supervise your thesis and approves your topic, you will elaborate a research proposal, which shall serve as a basis for a first meeting. The search for a second reviewer shall be coordinated with Prof. Schmid.

Details of the requirements can be found in the Ausführungsbestimmungen Studium and the Merkblatt Juristische Bachelor-Arbeiten or the Merkblatt Juristische Master-Arbeiten . The content of your research proposal should follow the structure taught in the Bachelor's course “Methoden und Arbeitstechnik”. Accordingly, your research proposal shall include