Legal philosophy has a long tradition in Vienna, dating back to the days of the natural law theorists Karl Anton von Martini (1726–1800) and Franz von Zeiller (1751–1828). During the first half of the twentieth century, Viennese legal philosophy earned itself international acclaim when Hans Kelsen (1881–1973) and his collaborators developed a pronounced and much debated version of legal positivism, the so-called Pure Theory of Law. Owing to the initiative of Gerhard Luf, whose works have contributed considerably to the rehabilitation of practical reason in legal philosophy, the discipline became established as a separate Department in 1985. 

In 2005, the Department of Legal Philosophy was merged with the Department of Law and Religion. It dated back to the founding of the Vienna law faculty and was home to many eminent scholars, such as Paul Joseph von Riegger (1705–1775), a defender of religious toleration, and Max Hussarek von Heinlein (1865–1936), a leading theorist of the legal relation between the state and religious communities. Under the stewardship of Richard Potz, the discipline was expanded into the comprehensive study of law and religion. 

This fused unit has been given its current name in 2016.

Part of the interdisciplinary research of this faculty is the research unit "Hans Kelsen and his Circle", headed by Prof. Jabloner.

News – Publications – In the media

• 2026 05 21 Symposium "Migration und Solidarität", organized by Anne Kühler and Anuscheh Farahat,  Alte Kapelle im Campus der Universität, Hof 1, Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Vienna. Registration: rrk@univie.ac.at until 2026 05 13.
• 2026 05 07, Stefan Schima gives a lecture at the Frühjahrstagung der Österreichischen Juristenkommission about "Kopftuchverbot zwischen positiver und negativer Relgionsfreiheit?", Schloss Linz.
• Alexander Somek discusses the “Urteil gegen Ungarn: Die böse Moral der europäischen Richter” in Die Presse, 2026 04 28.
• 2026 04 28, Stefan Schima gives a lecture titled „Die Rechte der Mehrheit und die Rechte von Minderheiten: Religions- und Weltanschauungsfreiheit auf dem Prüfstand“ at the University of Vienna in Vienna, as part of the “Studienstart Plus” lecture series and the course „Demokratie und Menschenrechte als Kernversprechen Europas“
• 2026 04 24, as part of the Millstätter Wirtschaftsgespräche Clemens Jabloner discusses within a panel "Die Macht der Zukunft" 
• 2026 04 24, as part of the conference „Feiertag – freier Tag? Zu Legitimation und Transformation religiös geprägter Feiertage in Österreich seit 1945“,  organized by the University of Vienna, Stefan Schima gives the lecture „Religiöse Feiertage zwischen Berücksichtigung religiöser Interessen und säkularen Neutralitätspflichten: Juristische Entwicklungspfade seit 1945“.
• 2026 04 21, Stefan Schima in an interview on "Kritik am geplantem Kopftuchverbot", ZIB 8:00
• 2026 04 15 “Religious Feasts and their legal possibilities”, lecture by Stefan Schima as part of the lecture series “VO-L Lecture Series Calendar and Festivals”, organized by Uta Heil, Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Vienna, Schenkenstraße 8-10, 1010 Vienna
• Rene Kuppe gives the lecture "Die Rechte indigener Völker und ihre Funktion für die Biodiversität" as part of the interdisciplinary conference "Die Werte der Natur - Recht, Gerechtigkeit und der Preis der Zerstörung", ÖAW, 18.03.-20.03.2026
• Published on March 16, 2026: "Rechtsphilosophie – Eine Einführung. Grundlagen und aktuelle rechtsethische Herausforderungen", 1st edition, ISBN: 9783825264659, online-edition:  ISBN 9783838564654
• Alexander Somek participates in the conference "European Society at the Crossroads of Disciplines, Politics and Imaginaries", 11.-13.03.2026, MPI für Ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht, Heidelberg
• 2026 03 06, interview "Menschenrechte, Frauenrechte und Demokratie: Wohin steuern die Menschenrechte?" with Anne Kühler in Rudolphina - the science magazine of the University of Vienna
• 2026 02 19, Elisabeth Holzleithner published an Article on "Die Avantgarde der Geschlechtervielfalt" on the Verfassungsblog.
• 2026 03 13, Clemens Jabloner will speak at the Juridicum as part of the birthday symposium for Ewald Wiederin on the topic "Wer verfügt über die Bundespolizei?"
• Newly published in January 2026: "The Constitution of the Legal Relation - A Pragmatist Philosophy of Law", Alexander Somek, Hart Publishing  
• 2026 01 29, Conference "Verfassungspräambeln. Ornament und Versprechen", organized by Anne Kühler, Clemens Jabloner and Alexander Somek. Limited number of participants, prior registration needed.
• 2026 01 17, Stefan Schima participates as a panelist in the conference "Mythos Kopftuch", University of Vienna, BIG HS.
• 2025 12 09, Clemens Jabloner is taking part in the presentation of the work "Die Schönheit und Eleganz der österreichischen Bundesverfassung", edited by Christoph Bezemek, at the University of Graz.
• René Kuppe participates in the conference “The Law & the Amazon: Thinking Locally and Beyond (COP 30)” on December 3, 2025, contributing to Session III – The Amazon Territory at the Universidade Federal do Pará in Belém, Brazil