(2) Insofar as nothing else has been legally provided, he has to comply with the official directives given by his superiors or by persons authorized to give him directives by virtue of a special order; the responsibility then rests with him who gave the directive. The civil servant must not comply with an order the execution of which would obviously contravene the criminal laws. (3) The civil servant may accept directives for his official acts only from his superior or from persons authorized by virtue of a special order to give him directives; his obligation to comply with the law and with such regulations has the precedence of any other obligations to render obedience. (4) The Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor decides whether and to what extent it is admissible to call a civil servant who is a member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party to account before a Party court. TRANSLATION OF SCHLEGELBERGER DOCUMENT 127 SCHLEGELBERGER DEFENSE EXHIBIT 123 DECREE, 10 JULY 1937, OF THE FUEHRER AND REICH CHANCELLOR CONCERNING APPOINTMENT OF CIVIL SERVANTS AND TERMINATION OF CIVIL SERVICE STATUS 1937 REICHSGESETZBLATT, PART 1, PAGE 769 On the basis of Articles 24, 31, 66, and 78 of the German Civil Service Law of 26 January 1937 (Reichsgesetzblatt I, page 39) I hereby order under concurrent suspension of my decree on the appointment and termination of Reich and Land [State] civil servants of 1 February 1935 (Reichsgesetzblatt I, pages 74, 73) and on the participation of the deputy of the Fuehrer in the appointment of civil servants of 24 September 1935 (Reichsgesetzblatt I, page 1203) as follows: I (1) I reserve to myself the power to appoint and retire civil servants of permanent status [Planstellen] of the civil service pay groups A 2 c 2 and upward and in the equivalent Land civil service pay groups, if not otherwise directed by special regulations. These civil servants will be dismissed by me in accordance with articles 60, 61, 63 of the German Civil Service Law, but according to article 61 only in as far as they can be placed in inactive status [Wartestand]. Civil servants whom I have placed in inactive status, and who are to be returned to active duty in permanent positions which do not require a formal appointment on my part can only be returned to active duty with my concurrence. I reserve to myself the power to retire the following civil servants in inactive status: under secretaries, ambassadors, ministerial directors, ministers first class, and Oberreichsanwaelte. (2) Suggestions will be submitted by the appropriate Reich Minister, for Prussia by the Minister President. (3) Before suggestions for appointment of civil servants and the employment in accordance with sentence 3, Article I, is made, the advice from the deputy of the Fuehrer [Hess] is to be sought, except in cases where they are civil servants of the armed forces.