Karl Piska

Karl Piska (born May 18, 1928 in Vienna ; † December 18, 2008 there ) was an Austrian lawyer and judge . In the course of his judicial career, Piska was Vice-President of two Supreme Courts : from 1985 to 1993 initially as Vice-President of the Supreme Court and - in some cases in parallel - from 1993 to 1998 as Vice-President of the Constitutional Court .

Professional background

Karl Piska was born on May 18, 1928 in the Austrian capital, Vienna, into a family of lawyers. He completed his law studies at the University of Vienna , where he received his doctorate in law (Dr. iur.) In 1951 . Karl Piska joined the judicial service immediately after completing his studies. In 1954 he passed the judge's examination and was appointed assistant judge on March 6, 1954. From February 27, 1957, he served first as an assigned judge, then as a public prosecutor at the public prosecutor's office at the youth court in Vienna-Erdberg.

On October 16, 1963, Piskas moved as a judge to the Regional Court for Criminal Matters in Vienna , where he subsequently became Chairman of the Senate and President of the Regional Court's judicial administration. On January 2, 1968, Karl Piska was assigned to the General Procuratorate at the Supreme Court , and on January 1, 1971, he was appointed Attorney General, a deputy to the General Procurator . However, on October 1, 1971, he switched back to judicial activity when he was appointed court advisor of the Supreme Court (i.e. judge there).

From January 1, 1980, Karl Piska was appointed president of the criminal senate at the Supreme Court, and on January 1, 1985 he was promoted to vice-president of the Supreme Court, which he continued to manage his senate until his retirement as a judge of ordinary jurisdiction stayed on December 31, 1993.

At the suggestion of the Austrian National Council , Karl Piska was appointed a member of the Constitutional Court on March 14, 1973 by Federal President Franz Jonas . From 1981 to 1989 and from 1990 to 1993 he was a permanent speaker at the VfGH. On October 21, 1993 he was appointed Vice-President of the Constitutional Court on a proposal by the Federal Government , making him Vice-President of two highest courts, namely the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, for a little more than two months. Karl Piska resigned from his judicial activity at the Constitutional Court, as provided by the constitution ( Art. 147 Para. 6 B-VG) on December 31, 1998, the end of the year in which he turned 70.

Personal life and awards

Karl Piska was married and had one son. In addition to his professional activity, he was Vice President of the Austrian Legal Commission from 1996 and was elected Honorary President by the latter in May 2008. He was also an honorary member of the Institute for Human Rights of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts . In 1989 he and other VfGH colleagues received the Great Silver Medal of Honor from the Mayor of Vienna, Helmut Zilk, for services to the State of Vienna . In 1997, the Austrian Federal President Thomas Klestil awarded him the Great Silver Medal of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria in recognition of his services . On November 5, 1998, the Lower Austrian Governor Erwin Pröll awarded him the Silver Commander's Cross with the Star of Honor for Services to the Province of Lower Austria .

literature

Erwin Felzmann : In memoriam Dr. Karl Piska (1928-2008) . In: Österreichische Juristenkommission (Ed.): Law and Language: Autochthonous Population - Migration, 21. – 22. November 2008 Vienna . Memorandum for Karl Piska (= Critique and Progress in the Rule of Law . Volume 33 ). Neuer Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, Vienna, Graz 2009, ISBN 978-3-7083-0579-0 , pp. 3-4 .
Erwin Felzmann : Dr. Karl Piska 1928 - 2008 . In: Österreichische Juristen-Zeitung . No. 2009/20 . Manz'sche publishing and university bookstore , Vienna 2009.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Kurt Heller : The Constitutional Court. The development of constitutional jurisdiction in Austria from the beginning to the present . Verlag Österreich , Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-7046-5495-3 , chapter short biographies of the members and substitute members of the Constitutional Court 1945-2010 , p. 647 .
↑ Former VfGH Vice President Karl Piska has passed away. VfGH , January 16, 2009, accessed on July 5, 2017 .
^ Karl-Heinz Danzl / Herbert Hopf: Supreme Court. Federal law on the Supreme Court and rules of procedure of the Supreme Court 2005 . 3rd, completely revised edition. Neuer Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, Vienna, Graz 2017, ISBN 978-3-7083-1156-2 (Chapter: The Vice Presidents (until 1962 “Second Presidents”) and Vice Presidents of the Supreme Court in the Second Republic , p. 41).
↑ Decoration of Honor of the State of Vienna. In: Website of the City of Vienna. Press service Rathaus-Korrespondenz, November 15, 1989, accessed on July 17, 2017 .
↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
↑ High State Medal of Honor for Dr. Karl Piska. In: APA-OTS . Press office of the Lower Austrian provincial government, November 5, 1998, accessed on July 5, 2017 .

personal data
SURNAME	Piska, Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Austrian lawyer and judge, Vice President of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court
DATE OF BIRTH	May 18, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH	Vienna
DATE OF DEATH	December 18, 2008
Place of death	Vienna

[Heller_2010-1] Kurt Heller : The Constitutional Court. The development of constitutional jurisdiction in Austria from the beginning to the present . Verlag Österreich , Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-7046-5495-3 , chapter short biographies of the members and substitute members of the Constitutional Court 1945-2010 , p. 647 .

[2] Former VfGH Vice President Karl Piska has passed away. VfGH , January 16, 2009, accessed on July 5, 2017 .

[Danzl/Hopf_2017-3] Karl-Heinz Danzl / Herbert Hopf: Supreme Court. Federal law on the Supreme Court and rules of procedure of the Supreme Court 2005 . 3rd, completely revised edition. Neuer Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, Vienna, Graz 2017, ISBN 978-3-7083-1156-2 (Chapter: The Vice Presidents (until 1962 “Second Presidents”) and Vice Presidents of the Supreme Court in the Second Republic , p. 41).

[4] Decoration of Honor of the State of Vienna. In: Website of the City of Vienna. Press service Rathaus-Korrespondenz, November 15, 1989, accessed on July 17, 2017 .

[5] List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)

[6] High State Medal of Honor for Dr. Karl Piska. In: APA-OTS . Press office of the Lower Austrian provincial government, November 5, 1998, accessed on July 5, 2017 .