Judicial Positions and Legal Aides Set for Creation,According to Meissner's Announcement - Establishing new judicial positions and appointing judicial aides, as proposed by Meissner.
Thuringia is taking steps to address a generational change in its judiciary by planning to create 39 new judicial positions and 26 new justice assistant positions. This initiative, led by Thuringia's Minister of Justice, Beate Meißner (CDU), aims to strengthen the judiciary workforce and mitigate the impact of retirements and demographic shifts on staffing levels within the justice system in the state.
The cost for these new positions is expected to be around 3.2 million euros per year in the double budget for 2026/27. The future operation of the judiciary will be decided by the budget legislator.
The judiciary in Thuringia is facing a massive retirement wave, with more than 46 percent of judges and public prosecutors expected to retire in the next ten years. The number of judges in Thuringia is 587, and the number of public prosecutors is 204. The ordinary courts and labor courts are particularly affected by the retirement wave.
Meißner plans to introduce 20 justice assistants in Thuringia to support judges and public prosecutors in their tasks. Trainee lawyers will also be part of this support team. Financial incentives will be provided for the justice assistants.
The addition of these new positions is necessary due to the courts being particularly strained by numerous asylum proceedings. Relief is expected to come through the creation of new justice assistants, though specific details about these positions are not provided.
The exact number of positions may not be reflected in the state budget due to ongoing budget negotiations. The budget talks have not yet reached the top level. However, Meißner wants to create conditions for these positions in the double budget.
This move is part of broader European trends that include strengthening judicial independence and resources, but does not detail the exact timeline or recruitment mechanisms for these new roles within Thuringia specifically. The plan includes creating 35 new positions, including 15 new judicial positions for Thuringia's administrative courts.
This article was published by the German Press Agency.
In light of the approaching retirement wave in Thuringia's judiciary, a plan has been initiated to establish financially-supported vocational training positions for trainee lawyers, serving as justice assistants to aid judges and public prosecutors. This move is part of a broader European trend, aiming to enhance judicial independence and resources, yet specific details about the recruitment mechanisms and timeline for these new positions remain undisclosed. The cost of this initiative is expected to be incorporated within the double budget for 2026/27, pending favorable outcomes from ongoing budget negotiations. The ultimate goal is to mitigate the impact of retirements and demographic shifts on the judiciary workforce, particularly in the ordinary courts and labor courts, and to manage the courts' increased workload due to numerous asylum proceedings.
