The interpretation of indeterminate legal terms and the role of social courts

Indeterminate legal terms appear in various areas of German public and social law. These terms are applied by the administration and reviewed by the courts for their correct interpretation and appliance. In German law there is also a concept of margin of appreciation that sets a limit to the reviewability by courts. This concept is currently only applied in public law and has not yet been extended to provisions in social law. The concept of full reviewability of indeterminate legal terms by social courts in Germany is deemed important to sustain social justice and necessitates a significant adjustment of the social court system.