The case of Dr. Nittmann, the unemployed non-church member who has been fighting against the unconstitutional enforced deduction of church tax from his unemployment benefit, which is little enough to start with – we have already informed you about the progress of and background to this case on several occasions – is now entering its decisive phase.
     As we reported, Dr Nittmann's case was pending at the Federal Sozialgericht. For »formal« (i.e. far-fetched) reasons, the court declined to make its own decision on the matter and rejected the brilliantly constructed appeal from the lawyer, Gottfried Niemietz, against the arbitrary administrative decision of the state Sozialgericht of Baden-Württemberg. It isn't worth listing the legal details of this ping-pong and game of instances on the courts' part; the sole purpose of this unworthy manoeuvre by the German juridical system is to play for time by artificially putting up these barricades on an obstacle course that is difficult enough to start with, to discourage the plaintiff and confuse all those who have supported the cause nationally and internationally – it is they in particular who are to be thanked for this trial coming so far in the first place and getting coverage (albeit minor) in the national and international media. The best way to understand the current status of the trial is to call Franz Kafka's parable, »Vor dem Gesetz« [Before the Law], to mind. In our case, the third gatekeeper – we at least, unlike Kafka's unfortunate protagonist, have got this far – would say that the fourth gatekeeper must be asked if this case really should be dealt with (in the hope that the plaintiff is so discouraged that he gives up).

At the end of April 2004, the lawyer, Gottfried Niemietz, lodged a complaint of unconstitutionality against the ruling of the Federal Sozialgericht with the Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht). Get the highest German court going by sending protest letters!
     Demand an immediate end to these delaying tactics, whose sole purpose is to give a legal blessing to an act of injustice on the part of the German church state – theft from the unemployed non-church members on the basis of the Hitler Concordat – an act of injustice that is absolutely unique worldwide!
     Tell the Federal Constitutional Court that it should show itself worthy of its name and restore the violated constitution!