Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
TERMS
| Akademie fuer Deutsches Recht | Academy of German Law; organized as a corporation of public law to build up a new system of German law in all branches, supervised by Reich Ministry of Justice. |
| Amtsanwalt | Public Prosecutor at local court. |
| Amtsgericht | Local court.[689] |
| Amtsgerichtsdirektor | Presiding Judge of local court. |
| Amtsgerichtsrat | Judge of local court. |
| Arbeitshaus | Workhouse. |
| Armenrecht | Right granted by court to a litigant to file papers without payment of court fees, equivalent in United States to filing of papers in forma pauperis. |
| Assessor | Judge on probational appointment.[690] |
| Ausserordentlicher Einspruch | “Extraordinary Objection;” extraordinary remedy introduced by Act of 16 September 1939, enabling the Attorney general of Germany (Oberreichsanwalt) to secure the review of final criminal judgments. |
| Beisitzer | Associate judge. |
| Blitzvollstreckung | Expedited execution of a death sentence. |
| “Das Schwarze Korps” | “The Black Corps,” official SS newspaper. |
| “Deutsche Justiz” | “German Justice,” a legal publication; semi-official; mouthpiece of Reich Ministry of Justice. |
| Entmannung | Castration. |
| Entrechtung | Deprivation of civil rights. |
| Erbgesundheitsgericht | Hereditary Health Court. |
| Erbhofrecht | Hereditary Farm Law. |
| Ermaechtigungsgesetz | Enabling Act; law dated 24 March 1933, giving the Reich cabinet legislative power. |
| Erster Staatsanwalt | Public prosecutor at district court. |
| Gau | Regional division (usually of size of a province) of Nazi Party. |
| Gauleiter | Leader of a Gau. |
| Generalstaatsanwalt | Public prosecutor at district court of appeals; supervises all public prosecutors at subordinate courts within his jurisdiction. (Also translated as “attorney general,” “general public prosecutor,” and “public prosecutor general.”) |
| Hauptverhandlung | Trial. |
| Heimtueckegesetz | Law on Insidious Acts (also translated as “Law against Malicious Acts”). |
| Justiz | Administration of justice; judiciary; term usually denotes the judicial system including Ministry of Justice, the courts, and members of the judiciary. |
| Kammergericht | District court of appeals in Berlin. |
| Kanzelmissbrauch | Misuse of pulpit; term denotes imprudent discussion of state affairs by clergymen. |
| Kreisleiter | Leader of a district of the Nazi Party. |
| Kriegstaeter | Perpetrator of a crime during wartime. |
| Land (Laender) | State (s). |
| Landgericht | District court. |
| Landgerichtsdirektor | Presiding judge of a division of a district court. |
| Landgerichtspraesident | Presiding judge of a district court. |
| Landgerichtsrat | Judge of district court. |
| Landrat (Landraete) | Highest administrative official (s) of a county. |
| Lynchjustiz | Lynch justice: lynch law; act or practice by private persons of inflicting punishment for crimes or offenses, without due process of law. |
| Ministerialblatt | Ministerial Gazette; official publication of a Ministry containing administrative ordinances, regulations, etc. |
| Mischling | Person of mixed race. |
| Mitarbeiter | Co-worker immediately subordinated to a Referent. |
| Nationalsozialistischer Rechtswahrerbund[691] | National Socialist Legal Workers’ Association; (also translated National Socialist Jurists’ League, and National Socialist Lawyers’ League) organization included members of all professions and workgroups connected with legal work; it contained eight divisions (Fachgruppen): (1) Richter und Staatsanwaelte (Judges and Public Prosecutors); (2) Rechtsanwaelte (lawyers); (3) Notare (notaries public); (4) Rechtspfleger (court registrars with authority of issuing court orders); (5) Hochschullehrer, jur. (professors of law); (6) Rechtswahrer der Verwaltung (counsels in administrative agencies); (7) Wirtschaftsrechtswahrer (auditors, political economists, etc.); (8) Junge Rechtswahrer (junior legal workers). |
| Nichtigkeitsbeschwerde | Nullity plea. |
| Notzucht | Rape. |
| Obererbgesundheitsgericht | Higher (Appellate) Hereditary Health Court. |
| Oberlandesgericht | District court of appeals. |
| Oberlandesgerichtspraesident | Presiding judge of a district court of appeals; administrative head of all courts in his district. |
| Oberpraesident | Chief of administration of a Prussian province, corresponds to position of Reich governor in other German states. |
| Oberreichsanwalt | Attorney general of the Reich (also translated as chief Reich prosecutor); there were two attorneys general, one at the People’s Court, the other at the Reich Supreme Court. |
| Oberstaatsanwalt | Public prosecutor at district court. |
| Oberster Gerichtsherr | Holder of supreme judicial power (Hitler). |
| Ortsgruppenleiter | Leader of a subdistrict of the Nazi Party. |
| Parteikanzlei | Nazi Party Chancellery. |
| Polenstrafrechtsverordnung | Criminal Code for Poles. |
| Rassenschande | Race defilement (also translated as race pollution). |
| Referat (e) | Office (s) or section (s) concerned with a specialized subject matter. |
| Referendar | Young jurist who has passed a preliminary state legal examination and works as a law clerk in a court. |
| Referent | Supervisor of several professional officials; section chief; expert in a particular field. |
| Reichsanwalt (-waelte) | Assistant attorney (s) general of the Reich (also translated as Reich prosecutor). |
| Reichsgericht | Reich Supreme Court. |
| Reichsgesetzblatt | Reich Law Gazette. |
| Reichsjustizministerium | Reich Ministry of Justice. |
| Reichsstatthalter | Reich Governor. |
| Reichsstrafprozessordnung | Code of Criminal Procedure. |
| Regierungspraesident | Highest Administrative official of a state district. (Each German state is subdivided into several administrative districts [Regierungsbezirke].) |
| Richterbrief (e) | Judge’s Letter (s); confidential circular letter to German judges and public prosecutors issued by the Reich Ministry of Justice. |
| Senat | Division of the Reich Supreme Court, or a district court of appeals, or the People’s Court, or of a Special Court. |
| Sondergericht | Special Court. |
| Staatsanwalt | Public prosecutor at district court. |
| Staatsanwaltschaft | Office of the public prosecutor. |
| Stahlhelm | German veterans organization of World War I, incorporated into the SA in 1933. |
| Standgericht | Civilian court martial. |
| Volksgerichtshof | People’s Court. |
| Volksschaedlingsverordnung | Law against public enemies; (also translated as “law against public parasites.”) |
| Wehrkraftzersetzung | Undermining of military efficiency.[692] |
| Wehrmacht | Armed Forces. |
| Zuchthaus | Penitentiary. |
ABBREVIATIONS
| BNSDJ | Bund Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Juristen | Association for National Socialist Jurists; became part of NSRB in 1936. |
| DBG | Deutsches Beamtengesetz | German Civil Service Law. |
| Gestapo | Geheime Staatspolizei | Secret State Police. |
| NN | Nacht- und Nebel Erlass | Night and Fog Decree. |
| NSDAP | Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei | National Socialist Workers’ Party (Nazi Party). |
| NSRB | Nationalsozialistischer Rechtswahrerbund | National Socialist Legal Workers’ Association. |
| OKW | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht | German Armed Forces High Command. |
| RGBl | Reichsgesetzblatt | Reich Law Gazette. |
| RJM | Reichsjustizministerium | Reich Ministry of Justice. |
| RK | Reichskanzlei | Reich Chancellery. |
| RKabR | Reichskabinettsrat | Reich Cabinet Counselor (title). |
| RSHA | Reichssicherheitshauptamt | Reich Security Main Office of the SS. |
| SA | Sturmabteilung | “Storm Troop Force” of the Nazi Party. |
| SD | Sicherheitsdienst | Security and Intelligence Service of the SS. |
| SS | Schutzstaffel | Elite Guard and “Protective Force” of the Nazi Party. |
| UStS | Unterstaatssekretaer | Assistant Under Secretary. |
| VGH | Volksgerichtshof | People’s Court. |