A senior figure in the German parliament has cautioned against transferring the authority to select judges for the Federal Constitutional Court to the Bundesrat (Federal Council). Omid Nouripour, Vice-President of the Bundestag and a member of the Green Party, voiced his concerns in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper on Friday, arguing that the current politically charged climate might not lead to a more effective selection process within the Bundesrat.
Nouripour emphasized that shifting the responsibility would send a negative signal regarding the Bundestag’s ability to function independently. He pointed out that the opposition CDU/CSU (Union) previously supported the election of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf within the Bundestag’s electoral committee, making subsequent calls for her withdrawal perplexing.
The Bundestag was due to elect three new judges last Friday, including Brosius-Gersdorf. According to existing legislation, the Bundesrat has the option to assume the selection process should the Bundestag fail to reach a consensus.
Nouripour expressed concern over what he described as a “devastating practice” drawing a comparison to a trend seen in the United States, where judicial appointments are increasingly influenced by ideological alignment rather than professional qualifications and legal expertise.
