The German Federal Judges’ Association (DRB) has issued a stark warning to Germany’s federal states, demanding a significant acceleration in the digitalization of the judicial system by 2026. The current pace, they argue, is cripplingly slow, diverting hundreds of thousands of working hours annually to manual tasks like scanning documents and converting them into PDF formats for digital case files. As DRB Federal Managing Director Sven Rebehn detailed in an interview with “Handelsblatt”, the reliance on outdated processes is so profound that in some instances, data is still transmitted via postal services or couriers, including video files on USB drives.
The DRB’s criticism was particularly sharp regarding the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which has demonstrably failed to meet prior deadlines for the implementation of electronic case files. Rebehn described the situation in Saxony-Anhalt as a “digital wasteland” highlighting the profound inefficiency despite nearly a decade of preparation. The recent extension granted by the federal government regarding the mandatory adoption of e-files, he suggested, serves as a damning indictment of past failures and exposes a systemic lack of progress.
Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig (SPD) has responded to the criticism with promises of renewed impetus for digitalization efforts, acknowledging broader concerns about governmental functionality. “Our state isn’t working as well as it should in many areas – we all feel that in our everyday lives” Hubig stated in the “Handelsblatt” interview. She emphasized the need for investments to yield “tangible progress” citing joint justice cloud projects as a primary avenue for improvement.
While the government has allocated €50 million in federal funds this year for digitalization within the state judicial systems, with a planned increase to €70 million annually between 2027 and 2029, the DRB’s challenge raises crucial questions about the efficacy of these investments and the political will to overcome ingrained bureaucratic inertia. The association’s pointed critique underscores the risk that further delays will not only exacerbate inefficiencies within the German justice system but will also undermine public trust and damage the nation’s standing on the international stage regarding technological advancement in legal processes. The question now remains whether the promised acceleration can translate into meaningful transformation or if these concerns will remain a recurring political hurdle.