More Indictments Despite Staff Shortages in Thuringia's Justice System - Thuringia's overburdened courts struggle with delays and staff shortages

Thuringia's judiciary is under growing pressure as staff shortages and mounting caseloads strain the system. Despite recent efforts to hire more judges and prosecutors, the region still faces significant challenges in processing news efficiently. Calls for faster reforms under the federal 'Pact for the Rule of Law' are now intensifying.

In 2025, Thuringia's public prosecutor's offices handled 130,604 new cases. By the end of the year, 29,554 investigations remained unresolved. Prosecutors filed 10,637 indictments—a slight rise of 1.3% from 2024—while the number of dropped cases fell by 7.4%.

The region currently lacks around 35 prosecutors, adding to delays. To ease the burden, over 60 probationary judges were recruited. Yet, digitalisation remains slow, with most new criminal news still arriving on paper.

Nationwide, the federal government's 2023 'Pact for the Rule of Law' has created 1,200 new judicial positions so far. A total of 2,000 are planned by 2026. Thuringia's Judges' Association is now pushing for quicker implementation to secure more staff and speed up digital reforms. The average case in 2025 took 2.7 months to process.

Thuringia's judiciary continues to grapple with high workloads and outdated systems. The planned expansion of staff and digital tools aims to reduce delays, but progress remains gradual. Without faster reforms, the backlog of cases and administrative hurdles are likely to persist.