Judge alarm: 200 jobs are missing - now politics is in demand!

Judge alarm: 200 jobs are missing - now politics is in demand!

In Austria, there is currently a warning of an alarming lack of staff in the courts. Over 1,400 judges have supported a signature campaign within just two weeks, which works for the creation of 200 additional positions at the district and state courts. The appeal comes from the union of the Austrian judges and the public service union (Göd) and is directed directly to the political top.

The President of the Judge Association, Gernot Kanduth, and Martin Ulrich of Göd emphasize that the necessary resources are required for a functioning constitutional state. In a letter to Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) and the Minister of Justice Anna Sporrer (SPÖ), the serious consequences of the understaffing are pointed out. This situation is not only presented as an abstract number, but as a serious problem, the overload, pressure and concern for fair procedures.

urgent need for additional places

The need of 200 additional judge positions results from a personnel requirements statement by the Ministry of Justice. This invoice evaluates typical cases such as traffic accidents or divorces with a minute value. At the beginning of 2025, 177 jobs were already missing, and the introduction of new laws requires an additional 33 jobs, which amounts to around 200 missing judge positions in total. This corresponds to around 15 percent of the 1,500 positions at district and state courts.

The procedures have become increasingly complex since the introduction of the requirement calculation, especially in family law. In 2024, the number of civil law disputes rose by 12% and that of criminal matters by 5% compared to the previous year. Kanduth also criticizes that the judiciary has been underfunded in the past ten years and that there is no reasonable lobby for the judges. Many judges now work with a load of 120%, which can result in longer procedures.

financial effects and economic importance

The creation of 200 additional positions would cause costs of around 30 million euros. In comparison, 70 million euros are budgeted for the increase in the reimbursement of defense costs. Kanduth makes it clear that a functioning judiciary is of great importance not only for justice, but also as an essential economic location factor.

The judge association and the Göd hope to have a positive impact on the political adjustments through their protest and support the population. They appeal to the responsibility of the political decision -makers in order to bring the judiciary back to a reasonable status and to relieve the procedures.

Further information on the situation of the courts in Austria and the current developments can be found on vienna.at , Austria24 and ORF Tirol .