Jutta Limbach, ex-head of German supreme court, dies at 82

BERLIN – Germany’s highest court says former chief justice Jutta Limbach, who later headed a commission that examines disputes over claims for the restitution of art looted under the Nazis, has died. She was 82.

The Federal constitutional Court said Monday that Limbach died in Berlin on Saturday. She led the Karlsruhe-based court from 1994 to 2002, and was previously Berlin’s state justice minister.

Limbach was the first woman to head the constitutional court. After her term ended in 2002, she spent six years as president of the Goethe Institute, which promotes the German language and culture worldwide.

She also headed the Limbach Commission, created to mediate disputes over the ownership of art that was looted or otherwise removed from its owners under Nazi rule. It issues non-binding, though influential, recommendations.