In 1956, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) declared that the imprisonment of Sinti and Roma in concentration camps until 1942 was lawful. It stated that their way of life, and not racist motives, were a decisive factor in their imprisonment at the time. Several of the judges involved in the judgement were former Nazis. The decision helped prolong discrimination against the victims.
The decision was overturned in 1963. In 2016, the BGH apologised for it.