Judges and prosecutors plan protest week over judicial overload in Austria

Judges and prosecutors across Austria are planning a protest week to draw attention to the judiciary's severe understaffing and its consequences for the rule of law. Titled "Action Week for the Rule of Law," the event is scheduled for October 12-16.

During this period, no court hearings will be conducted, no decisions will be issued, and no appointments will be scheduled, with exceptions made only for urgent and unavoidable matters. The date was chosen deliberately, as the Austrian judiciary is projected to have completed its entire year's workload by the end of October 2026. From that point onward, work will be performed without sufficient allocated positions.

Representatives from judicial professional bodies, including the Association of Judges President Gernot Kanduth, the chairman of the GÖD Federal Representation of Judges and Prosecutors Martin Ulrich, and the Vice President of the Association of Austrian Prosecutors Anna-Maria Wukovits, announced the protest. They emphasized that the measure is not taken lightly and is not directed against the public seeking justice. Instead, it aims to raise awareness about the long-standing structural underfunding and its impact on the judiciary's ability to function effectively.

The judiciary is warning that without additional positions, it cannot maintain its current level of service. The professional bodies are demanding concrete solutions from the government. The protest stems from deep disappointment over the government's budget, which includes no new positions for judges or prosecutors, despite years of requests. They also criticized the notion that digitalization and artificial intelligence can solve these problems in the short term.