Thomas Fischer

Thomas Fischer, born in 1953, is the presiding judge of the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe.  His annual commentary on the Penal Code, “Beck’s Short Commentaries,” is considered the Bible of German Criminal Law. He is a honorary professor at the University of Würzburg lecturing criminal law, criminal trial law and the sociology of law. Through his weekly column „Fischer im Recht“ on ZEIT ONLINE, Thomas Fischer has become a familiar name to a broad nationwide audience.

Thomas Fischer got selected for the 2017 European Press Prize shortlist with his ‘Fischer im Recht’ columns