The Swiss Federal Supreme Court (Bundesgericht) publishes selected decisions as BGE, organized by subject area: I (public law), II (public law, taxation), III (civil law, debt enforcement, bankruptcy), IV (criminal law), and V (social insurance law). BGE citations follow the format BGE [volume] [subject area] [page], for example, BGE 144 III 462 (a leading decision on contractual interpretation under Art. 18 CO).
Not every Federal Supreme Court decision becomes a BGE. The court selects decisions of fundamental legal significance for official publication. Unpublished decisions are available through the court's database but carry less precedential weight. BGE decisions interpret federal legislation, resolve conflicts between cantonal practices, and establish precedent that lower courts (cantonal courts and the Federal Administrative Court) consistently follow.
For legal practitioners, BGE analysis is essential for understanding how statutes are applied in practice. A single BGE can redefine the interpretation of a Code of Obligations provision, shift burden-of-proof standards in liability disputes, or establish new requirements for data protection compliance under the FADP. Contract drafting without awareness of relevant BGE risks using language that courts have already interpreted differently than intended.
DocIQ Sphere integrates BGE as one of six legal research databases. Search Swiss Federal Supreme Court decisions alongside federal legislation (Fedlex), EU law (EUR-Lex), and ECHR case law. Sphere handles BGE citation formats, resolves volume/subject/page references, and links to the source decisions on bger.ch. When reviewing contracts or drafting legal opinions, retrieve relevant BGE precedent without leaving the document workspace.