Rechtsfehler

Rechtsfehler is a legal term used in German-speaking jurisdictions to describe an error in the application or interpretation of the law by a court, tribunal, or public authority. It denotes a mistake in the legal assessment, in contrast to Sachfehler (factual error) or Verfahrensfehler (procedural error). Rechtsfehler can arise from misapplying a statute, misreading binding precedents, or failing to apply relevant legal standards, including violations of constitutional rights during adjudication.

In civil and criminal proceedings, Rechtsfehler can be a ground for legal remedies such as Berufung (appeal) or Revision (legal remedy focused on points of law), depending on the case type and jurisdiction. A Revision typically concentrates on errors of law rather than findings of fact, and a judgment may be annulled or remanded if a Rechtsfehler is established. The availability and scope of remedies are defined by the applicable procedural codes (for example, in Germany the Zivilprozessordnung and Strafprozessordnung).

Practical implications include the requirement that the alleged Rechtsfehler be capable of altering the outcome of the decision; harmless or purely factual errors may not justify a remedy. Courts distinguish Rechtsfehler from Verfahrensfehler and Sachfehler to determine the appropriate review path and whether a decision can be challenged on legal grounds.

In everyday use, the term also appears in discussions of constitutional and constitutional-rights review, where a court’s misapplication of constitutional provisions may constitute a Rechtsfehler warranting a higher court’s scrutiny.