The Federal Administrative Court (BVerwG) has now also lifted the ban on the right-wing extremist magazine „Compact“ in the main proceedings (Ref.: 6 A 4.24 of 24 June 2025). The then Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser had issued the ban on the basis of the law on associations in June 2024. Just a few weeks later, it was overturned again in summary proceedings.

As the judgement now shows, the Federal Administrative Court considers the law on associations to be applicable in the case of Compact magazine, as the publisher, his wife and employees were jointly pursuing a political agenda. However, the court's press release states that a ban on associations is only justified „in view of the principle of proportionality, which governs all state action, if the unconstitutional activities prove to be formative for the association“. And that is not the case here. According to the judges, many of the magazine's contents and statements are not in line with the free democratic basic order. However, they were still covered by freedom of opinion and freedom of the press. According to the court, the Basic Law guarantees freedom of opinion and freedom of the press even to the enemies of freedom, trusting in the power of free social debate.