Roland Freisler | |
|---|---|
 Freisler in 1942 | |
| Judge President of the People's Court | |
| In office 20 August 1942 – 3 February 1945 | |
| Chancellor | Adolf Hitler |
| Preceded by | Otto Thierack |
| Succeeded by | Wilhelm Crohne (acting) Harry Haffner |
| State Secretary Reich Ministry of Justice | |
| In office 1 April 1935 – 20 August 1942 | |
| Minister | Franz Gürtner |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Curt Rothenberger |
| Additional positions | |
| 1933–1935 | State Secretary, Prussian Justice Ministry |
| 1933–1945 | Prussian State Council |
| 1933–1945 | Reichstag |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 October 1893 Celle, Hanover Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 3 February 1945 (aged 51) Berlin, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany |
| Cause of death | Blunt Force Trauma caused by falling debris |
| Resting place | Waldfriedhof Dahlem, Berlin, Germany |
| Political party | Nazi Party |
| Other political affiliations | Völkisch-Social Bloc |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Oswald Freisler (brother) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Jena |
| Profession | Judge, lawyer |
| Civilian awards | Golden Party Badge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire |
| Branch/service | Prussian Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1918 |
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Unit | 167th Infantry Regiment (1st Upper Alsatian) 22nd Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Military awards | Iron Cross, 2nd class |
Karl Roland Freisler (30 October 1893 – 3 February 1945) was a German jurist, judge and politician who served as the State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice from 1934 to 1942 and as President of the People's Court from 1942 to 1945. As a prominent ideologist of Nazism, he influenced as a jurist the Nazification of Germany's legal system. He attended the 1942 Wannsee Conference, the event which set the Holocaust in motion. He was appointed President of the People's Court in 1942, overseeing the prosecution of political crimes as a judge, and became known for his aggressive personality, his humiliation of defendants, and frequent use of the death penalty in sentencing.
Although the death penalty was abolished with the creation of the Federal Republic in 1949, Freisler's 1941 definition of murder in German law, as opposed to the less severe crime of manslaughter, survives in the Strafgesetzbuch § 211.