Schweinfurt celebrates lay judges: focus on volunteer work in the judiciary

Schweinfurt celebrates lay judges: focus on volunteer work in the judiciary

On November 26, 2025, the lay judges' day for the lay judges of the Schweinfurt regional court district took place at the Federal Police Training and Advanced Training Center in Oerlenbach. Around a hundred volunteers accepted the invitation of District Court President Franz Troupi, who opened the event with a heartfelt thank you for the commitment of the lay judges. These valuable representatives of the judiciary should not be underestimated when it comes to strengthening citizens' trust in the judiciary. The central theme of the event was “The Federal Police in the context of internal security” and offered participants the opportunity to find out about the work of the police.

Troupei pointed out that the role of jurors in court proceedings is not only important but also challenging. The search for the truth in the courtroom is often characterized by populist slogans, and it is crucial to uphold the principles of the rule of law. One example he cited was the Nuremberg war crimes trials, which impressively documented adherence to the rule of law.

Insight into the work of the Federal Police

Thorsten Krug, press spokesman for the training facility, presented the areas of operation of the Federal Police. These include, among others:

• Grenzschutz zu Wasser und zu Land
• Bahn- und Luftsicherheit
• Objektschutz
• Kriminalitätsbekämpfung
• Internationale Aufgaben zur Eindämmung illegaler Migration

The participants also received practical insights into federal police training. This included scenario demonstrations for the repatriation of people required to leave the country as well as a tour of the special weapons and shooting ranges. This idea was enriched by the realistic nature of the settings, for example in a replica train compartment. The day was judged to be extremely informative and gave the volunteers a valuable perspective on the work of the Federal Police.

Jurors in a general legal context

However, the importance of lay judges goes beyond the scope of this lay judge's day. Over 800 lay judges from the district of the Nuremberg Higher Regional Court came to a central lay judge's day on November 22nd, 2025. Here we cooperated with the Bavarian regional association of the German Association of Aldermen and Aldermen (DVS). Cabaret artist Klaus Karl-Kraus and other speakers from the judiciary designed the program, which covered topics such as cybercrime and psychology of testimony and honored the importance of volunteer work.

It is a fixed regulation that the lay judge's office can only be exercised by Germans between the ages of 25 and 70. This regulation is intended to ensure that volunteers have the necessary language skills and good health. Lay judges are on an equal footing with professional judges and have full voting rights in judgments, which illustrates how close the judiciary is to the citizens.

For the lay judges, who are elected every five years, the next election date has already been set: 2028. At the last lay judge election in 2023, the basis for the term of office from 2024 to 2028 was laid. In the current lay judge statistics from 2024, the main lay judges amount to over 28,000. This diverse community is a visible expression of popular sovereignty, even if there are ongoing discussions about its role.

In summary, the lay judges' day in the Schweinfurt regional court district was a successful opportunity to celebrate the important voluntary work of lay judges and at the same time to gain insights into a crucial segment of internal security. Events like these make a significant contribution to raising awareness of volunteerism and shedding light on the challenges of modern jurisprudence.

For further information about lay judges and their tasks and relevance in the Bavarian justice system, those interested can visit the following links: In and around Schweinfurt, Justice Bavaria, and Wikipedia.