Changing of guard at top German court signals de-escalation for ECB

FILE PHOTO: Germany's Constitutional Court President Andreas Vosskuhle arrives for the verdict of the court about the attempt by the country's 16 federal states to ban the far-right NPD in Karlsruhe, Germany, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Changes to the composition of Germany's top court are likely to make it less confrontational towards the European Central Bank following a ruling about bond purchases that sent shockwaves around Europe, according to two sources close to the court.

In its ruling last month, the Constitutional Court gave the ECB three months to justify bond purchases under its flagship stimulus programme or lose the Bundesbank as a participant, raising questions about the future of the euro.