Election of lay judges 2013: approx. 940 applicants wanted for honorary office

In the first half of 2013, the lay assessors and youth lay assessors or honorary judges will be elected nationwide for the term of office from 2014 to 2018. The City of Chemnitz is looking for around 940 people for the 2014 to 2018 term of office as lay assessors for the district court and youth lay assessors for the juvenile criminal court as well as honorary judges for the administrative court.
Aldermen and honorary judges are elected on the basis of nomination lists, which are adopted by the municipal councils in 2013.

Interested parties can send their applications to the following addresses:

Aldermen Criminal Court/ Honorary Judges Administrative Court:
City of Chemnitz Central Administrative Services and Procurement Office Markt 1 (City Hall), 09106 Chemnitz - contact persons here are Danny Sobeck, call 0371/ 488-1063/ room 416 b and Sandra Seidel, call 0371/488-1066/ room 416 b, e-mail: schoeffenwahl@stadt-chemnitz.de

Juvenile court judges:
City of Chemnitz, Office for Youth and Family, Bahnhofstraße 53, 09106 Chemnitz - contact persons here are Frank Schreyer, call 0371/ phone 488-5115/ room 245 and Mario Lück, call 0371/ 488-5125/ room 455, e-mail: frank.schreyer@stadt-chemnitz.de

The application documents are available from the above-mentioned contacts and can be downloaded at www.chemnitz.de/schoeffenwahl. The closing date for applications is 18.04.2013 and 25.04.2013 for applications for the position of juvenile lay assessor.

Seminar on the election of lay judges at the VHS: The Association of Voluntary Judges of Central Germany (VERM) has planned an information event on the election of lay judges in 2013 at the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre in the TIETZ building on Friday, 15 March at 6 pm.

Requirements for the honorary office of lay assessor and content of the work:
The lay assessor election committees will elect the main and assistant lay assessors from the nominations in the second half of 2013. We are looking for applicants who live in Chemnitz or within the court district (administrative court) and will be between 25 and 69 years old on 1 January 2014. German nationals who have a sufficient command of the German language are eligible for election. Anyone who has been sentenced to more than six months imprisonment or is under investigation for a serious criminal offence is not eligible to stand for election. People working full-time in or for the judiciary (judges, lawyers, police officers, probation officers, prison officers, etc.) and religious ministers should also not be elected as lay judges.

Lay judges/honorary judges should have social skills, i.e. be able to judge a person's actions in their social environment. Expect life experience and knowledge of human nature. The lay judges must be able to assess evidence, i.e. derive the probability that a certain event did or did not occur from the witness statements, expert opinions or documents presented. The life experience that a lay judge must have can be drawn from professional experience and/or social commitment. The focus here is not on professional success, but on the experience gained in dealing with people.

Lay judges in juvenile criminal cases should have particular experience in bringing up young people (e.g. bringing up their own children). The responsible office of lay assessor requires a high degree of impartiality, independence and maturity of judgement, as well as mental agility and - due to the strenuous nature of the court sessions - good health.

Lay assessors must know their role in criminal proceedings, be informed about their rights and duties and have thought about the causes of crime and the meaning and purpose of punishment. They must be prepared to invest time in educating themselves about their opportunities to participate and shape the proceedings. Those who are called to judge people need a great sense of responsibility for intervening in other people's lives. Objectivity and impartiality must also be maintained in difficult situations, for example if the accused is deeply unsympathetic due to their behaviour or the alleged offence, or if public opinion has already pronounced a previous conviction.

Lay judges have the same rights as professional judges. A two-thirds majority in the court is required for every conviction and sentence. No one can be convicted against both lay assessors. The lay judges are therefore jointly responsible for every judgement - whether conviction or acquittal. Anyone who cannot accept personal responsibility for a prison sentence of several years, for the denial of probation or for an acquittal due to a lack of evidence against public opinion should not seek the office of lay judge.

In deliberations with the professional judges, lay assessors must be able to defend their proposed judgement steadfastly and, if necessary, be persuaded by better arguments without being opportunistic. The lay judges have the right to ask questions during the main hearing. They must be able to make themselves understood, respond to the defendant and other parties involved in the proceedings and participate in the deliberations with their arguments. They are therefore required to be able to communicate and engage in dialogue.