Higher Regional Courts Demand Additional Judge Positions Due to Overload

The justice budget set during the budget negotiations does secure ongoing operations, they explained. However, merely continuing the status quo is not enough to bring noticeable relief to the courts. "Angesichts der anhaltend hohen Belastung der Gerichte reicht ein bloßes Fortschreiben des Status quo nicht aus", they explained jointly.

Background to the demand

The four OLG heads emphasized that the unchanged number of judges cannot suffice to continue coping with the rising workload. "Es reicht nicht aus", the press release stated, with reference to the growing burden of recent years.

In addition to additional personnel resources, the presidents also see the consistent implementation of the results of the "Aufgabenkritik" project as a key approach. This could at least partially cushion the burden on the courts, they explained.

The demand of the OLG heads is directed at the political decision-makers who, within the framework of the budget negotiations, decide on the personnel and financial resources of the judiciary. The four OLG presidencies have announced that they will seek talks with policymakers in order to achieve short-term relief steps.

Reactions and next steps

A workload of around 120 percent means that judges at the district and regional courts must on average handle one-fifth more proceedings and tasks than provided for in their regular working hours. In the assessment of the OLG heads, this leads to longer proceedings and an increasing burden on the entire justice system.

A response from the Ministry of Justice to the demands of the OLG presidencies had not been received by the time of the press release. The presidents announced that they would maintain the pressure and continue to advocate for additional judge positions at the political decision-making levels.

The "Aufgabenkritik" project has in recent years already developed a series of proposals for streamlining procedural workflows and reducing administrative tasks for judges. The OLG heads are insisting that these results now be consistently put into practice in order to create noticeable relief.