The article takes recent Federal Supreme Court rulings on the legality of municipal minimum wages as its starting point. Nula Frei, Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law at UniDistance Suisse, highlights the tensions arising from these decisions: cities can develop their own solutions because they are particularly close to the social challenges they seek to address. At the same time, federal legislation risks restricting this autonomy, even when constitutional concerns arise. As courts are required to apply federal laws even if they are unconstitutional, particular importance must be attached to respecting the powers of the different levels of government. In her guest article, Nula Frei explores the responsibilities of Parliament and the courts in maintaining the balance of Switzerland’s federal system.
