The JKU would like to congratulate Univ. Prof. Dr. Michael Mayrhofer, Dean of the JKU Faculty of Law, on his appointment as new Constitutional Court judge.
Since the spring of 2021, the JKU legal expert had been serving as a substitute member of the Constitutional Court. In September, he was unanimously nominated as a new constitutional judge in the Council of Ministers. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen confirmed the nomination and today, Mayrhofer was sworn in.
Mayrhofer's credentials and qualifications are undisputed. His research interests include European public law, administrative justice, electoral law, energy and technology law, and medical law. He has also served as a member of the Federal Chancellery’s Bioethics Commission since July 2017, a committee that advises the Austrian Chancellor. In addition, he served as a member of the Ministry of Health’s legal advisory staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
Prof. Michael Mayrhofer is Dean of the Faculty of Law at the JKU as well as head of the Institute for Administrative Law and Administrative Theory. He co-founded - and also heads - the Linz Institute of Technology (LIT) Law Lab. The Law Lab focuses on projects that include developing intelligent systems to visualize patient data and create a digital office.
JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas remarked: "New technologies, such as artificial intelligence and digitalization, pose new problems in our society and ultimately the legal system as well. The federal government’s appointment of Prof. Michael Mayrhofer’s to the Council of Ministers means they have selected a legal expert who breaks new ground and makes the new digital opportunities applicable in legal practice. I would like to congratulate Dean Mayrhofer on his appointment and I believe he is an excellent choice for this extremely important and prestigious position."
About Michael Mayrhofer
Prof. Michael Mayrhofer studied law at the JKU, graduating in 1998. He completed his doctorate degree in law in 2003. Following his studies, Mayrhofer worked as a constitutional law clerk at the Constitutional Court up until October 2005. He then took and passed the civil service examination. At the end of 2005 he continued his academic work at the JKU, first as a university assistant and then later as an assistant professor and interim head of the Institute for Multimedia Public Law. He earned his teaching authorization for the subject areas of Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and European Law in 2014. Between 2016 and 2019, he served as JKU Senate chairman. He has been Dean of the Faculty of Law at Johannes Kepler University Linz since 2019.
