Lower Saxony: Judges and prosecutors are not allowed to wear religious symbols

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.