Law and Emotions: From a Sense of Justice to the Protection of Feelings

How much emotion is there in the law—and when does the law actually protect our feelings? That’s the focus of the new episode of „Let’s Talk About Recht“—the interactive discussion series.

Leipzig. The law is supposed to be objective; emotions are personal—but the two can no longer be so clearly separated. So how much emotion is there in the law—and how much emotion can a constitutional state tolerate? The historian discusses these and other questions Dr. Sandra Schnädelbach and the legal scholar Prof. Dr. Johannes Eichenhofer at the next episode of „Let’s Talk About Law“ on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Leipzig office of the Forum Recht Foundation. The discussion will be moderated by Susann Böttcher.

Law is rational; emotions are subjective—for a long time, the distinction seemed that simple. But are law and emotions really opposites? Research in legal studies and cultural studies is increasingly examining their interactions. This is because emotions shape how people perceive the law, how decisions are made, and which rules gain social acceptance.

So what does our „sense of justice“ mean? What role do emotions play in the creation and application of law? And in what ways does the law already recognize emotions—for example, by protecting them or shielding people from the consequences of emotional reactions?

The panelists will examine the tension between emotion and the law from historical and legal perspectives. As always, the audience is invited to engage with the discussion, ask their own questions, and actively contribute to the conversation.

Dr. Sandra Schnädelbach studied history, theater, film, and television studies, and German language and literature in Cologne and Rome. In her dissertation „Decisive Emotions: The Sense of Justice and Legal Emotionality from the German Empire to the Weimar Republic,“ she examined the legal culture of the early 20th century and analyzed the significance of emotions in theories and practices of judgment. After working at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and at the University of Strasbourg, she was a Gisela Eisenreich Fellow at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. From 2012 to 2026, she worked as an editor and served as the managing editor of *Philosophie Magazin*; she currently works at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

Prof. Dr. Johannes Eichenhofer is a professor of public law at the University of Leipzig. His research focuses on public law issues related to digitalization, migration and integration law, and security law. He also studies the relationship between law and emotions.

The conversation will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Forum Recht Foundation in Leipzig (Universitätsstraße 20). Admission is free. Registration is not required.

Let's Talk About Matht
Since 2025, the Forum Recht Foundation has been regularly hosting the „Let’s Talk About Recht“ discussion series at its venues in Karlsruhe and Leipzig. The guests are prominent figures from various fields of law who discuss their day-to-day work and share their perspectives on current legal topics—ranging from labor law and tenancy law to freedom of speech. The discussions are recorded and subsequently released as a live-on-tape podcast.