Judges halt trials nationwide to protest heavy workloads

Judges’ representatives in Carinthia say the region is short 17 judges and prosecutors, while Austria has 250 vacancies. Trials have not been taking place nationwide since Monday, a measure intended to draw attention to the judiciary’s workload, ORF reported.

At a news conference on Monday in the jury courtroom of the Klagenfurt Regional Court, representatives displayed 17 headless mannequins dressed in judges’ and prosecutors’ robes. Sarah-Maria Ritzmaier, head of the St. Veit District Court and chair of the Carinthian Judges’ Association, said three vacancies were at the regional court, 10 were across the region’s 11 district courts and four were among prosecutors.

The 11 district courts have 44 judges and 111 other staff and handle 130,000 cases a year. Ritzmaier said their workload stood at 120 per cent, with staff working six days a week, in the evenings and while on sick leave.

Criminal cases are also becoming more numerous and complex, said Julius Heidinger, a prosecutor and deputy chair of the Carinthian Public Service Union. Between 2018 and 2025, investigations involving known suspects in Carinthia rose by more than 32 per cent, he said. He also cited a growing number of major cases and changes to legislation.

Gernot Kanduth, president of the Austrian Judges’ Association, called on politicians to create more positions and fund them through a dedicated share of court fees. The fees were recently raised by more than a quarter, bringing in an additional 10 million to 11 million euros, he said, but the money goes to the general budget rather than the justice system.