In Lower Saxony, judges and prosecutors will in future be prohibited from wearing religious objects and clothing in the courtroom. In Hanover, the state parliament voted by a majority in favour of a change in the law prohibiting the wearing of all visible symbols or garments that express a religious, ideological or political conviction. The law aims to strengthen the “neutrality of the judiciary”.
Only the Greens voted against the regulation, which they criticised as a “headscarf ban”. The Ministry of Justice had recently stated that there was no judge in Lower Saxony who wanted to wear a headscarf. However, female referees regularly came forward with the wish to wear a headscarf while working in the courtroom.
