The Gestapo had the authority to investigate cases of treason, espionage, sabotage and criminal attacks on the Nazi Party and Germany. The basic Gestapo law passed by the government in 1936 gave the Gestapo carte blanche to operate without judicial review—in effect, putting it above the law.[26] The Gestapo was specifically exempted from responsibility to administrative courts, where citizens normally could sue the state to conform to laws.