Katharina Isabel Schmidt

Katharina Isabel Schmidt serves as Head of the Minerva Fast Track Research Group "Artificial Justice" at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, where she holds the position of Scientific Officer. She is additionally affiliated as a Junior Fellow at the Hamburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Her interdisciplinary research group brings together scholars from law, logic, computer science, technology, and the humanities to investigate the fundamental tension between animation and automation in law.

Schmidt's educational background reflects her dual expertise in law and history:

• JSD (Law), Yale Law School (in progress)
• PhD (History), Princeton University (September 2021)
• MA (History), Princeton University (May 2017)
• LL.M (Law), Yale Law School (May 2013)
• BCL (Law), Oxford University (July 2011)
• LL.B (Law), University College London (August 2010)
• Baccalaureus Legum (Law), University of Cologne (August 2010)

Her scholarly work centers on Modern German legal history, transnational legal history, and the history of legal knowledge. Schmidt's first book, "German Jurists and the Search for Life in Law," examines German legal modernism from 1900 to the Third Reich, focusing on jurists' quest for "more human" judges. Her second book investigates the early history of legal informatics against three critical historical contexts: human error under National Socialism, Soviet legal cybernetics, and 1968 sociopolitical unrest. Her research consistently explores how historical perspectives on legal reasoning illuminate contemporary challenges in law and technology.

Schmidt's publication record reveals a sustained engagement with transnational legal exchanges, particularly between German and American legal thought. Her work spans traditional academic journals, edited volumes, and digital platforms, demonstrating methodological versatility and commitment to diverse scholarly communication. Key themes include the critique of legal formalism, the evolution of legal reasoning methods, and comparative approaches to legal modernity across different historical and national contexts.

As leader of the Minerva Fast Track Research Group, Schmidt mentors interdisciplinary researchers exploring connections between historical legal thought and contemporary technological challenges. Her position in this prestigious early-career program recognizes her exceptional scholarly promise and innovative research agenda at the intersection of legal history and artificial intelligence.

The Artificial Justice research group embodies Schmidt's commitment to examining how historical perspectives on law can inform our understanding of legal automation. By integrating scholars from multiple disciplines, the group investigates the complex relationship between human elements of justice and technological systems, creating a unique space for innovative research on law's evolving nature in the digital age.