The office of lay judges and juvenile lay judges

Lay judges are citizens. They assist in the administration of justice. They make the proceedings understandable. They bring people's opinions into the judgment. They are not trained judges. They use their professional and life experience. They strengthen trust in the judiciary. They promote law-abiding behavior. Criminal justice remains important for people.

Lay assessors are honorary judges. They have the same voting rights as professional judges. They have a say in the main hearing. They only follow the law. They decide on guilt or innocence. They are responsible for acquittal or conviction. A two-thirds majority is required for a conviction. There is no conviction without the votes of the lay assessors.

Any German citizen can become a lay assessor. You must:

• be 25 years old or older in the year of election as a lay assessor
• be under 70 years of age
• be in good health
• live in Bad Homburg if you are on the list of candidates
• be able to hold public office
• not have been sentenced to more than six months in prison. There must also be no ongoing proceedings that could result in the loss of the ability to hold public office.
• Youth court judges must be able to deal well with young people. They should have experience in educating young people.

Your application will be placed on the list for lay assessors or juvenile lay assessors. The lists consist of voluntary applications or the persons are selected at random from the district's register. The municipal council or the youth welfare committee approves the lists. The lists are then made public. This allows people to object to people on the lists. The lists should have at least twice as many nominations as the district court needs.

Inclusion on the lists does not mean that the candidates will become lay judges.

After the objection period, the list is sent to the local court. There, a committee elects the lay judges. The committee is chaired by a judge. The committee votes by a two-thirds majority. It elects the principal lay judges and alternate lay judges. The persons selected receive information from the court. Those who are not selected also receive information from the court.

Responsible for lay assessors

City of Bad Homburg

Legal and Insurance Department

Ms. Rögler-Rumscheidt or Ms. Suarez

Technical Town Hall

Bahnhofstraße 16 to 18

61352 Bad Homburg vor der Höhe

E-Mail: Frauke.Roegler-Rumscheidt@bad-homburg.de

Responsible for juvenile lay assessors

City of Bad Homburg

Department for the promotion of children and young people

Mrs. Gröschl

Town Hall Square 1

61348 Bad Homburg vor der Höhe

E-mail: marina.groeschl@bad-homburg.de