[Source: Staatsgerichtshof des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (ed.), 75 Jahre Staatsgerichtshof des Fürstentums Liechtenstein, Vaduz 2000]
The Constitutional Court can be seen as the culmination of Liechtenstein's 1921 Constitution, given that it was the first European constitutional court to be equipped with comprehensive competences to examine the constitutionality of laws, decrees and rulings. Only in 1951, another state organ with similar functions was created in the guise of the German Constitutional Court.
The Constitutional Court consists of its president and four additional judges as well as their substitutes, all of them exercising their function part-time. According to Article 96 of the Constitution, the joint body for the selection of judges proposes suitable candidates to Parliament. The body is presided by the Prince, who may appoint as many members as Parliament. The latter delegation includes one MP for each parliamentary group. Upon being elected by Parliament, the Prince appoints the candidates as judges.
The Constitutional Court decides upon complaints of individuals that their fundamental rights have been violated. This includes constitutional rights, rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and rights under the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Any natural person as well as corporate bodies may, as part of an individual constitutional complaint, allege that the decision of the highest ordinary court violated their fundamental rights. As a subsidiary and exceptional measure, complainants may direct their complaint directly against a norm if the mere existence of the norm directly violates their rights.
What is more, the Constitutional Court is competent to assess legislation by means of judicial review. Thereby, laws and decrees which are regarded as unconstitutional can be annulled. Out of its motion, the Constitutional Court may initiate judicial review proceedings as a corollary of cases in which it renders a verdict with reference to the respective norm. Courts can submit motions for reviewing laws or decrees if these are applicable in pending proceedings. Detached of concrete proceedings, the Government or a municipality may move the Constitutional Court to undertake a judicial review of a law. The judicial review of a decree may be initiated by a minimum of 100 citizens who are allowed to vote.
Lastly, the Constitutional Court decides upon conflicts of jurisdiction between administrative and judicial authorities, as well as upon impeachment proceedings against ministers and electoral disputes.
Its far-reaching competences endow the Constitutional Court with considerable leverage. Undertaking a judicial review in particular constitutes a balancing act between undoing legislative violations of fundamental rights and patronising democratically elected MPs. Even if the Constitutional Court occasionally needs to intervene, it generally exercises restraint.