Government · Potsdam
Juli Zeh gives up her Brandenburg constitutional court seat three years early
Novelist Juli Zeh has asked Brandenburg's state parliament to release her from her honorary judgeship, citing her workload as an author. Her regular ten-year term would have run until 2029.
AI text based on reports by Berliner Zeitung, DIE WELT, tagesschau.de and other publishers. Published . How it is made
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In brief
Zeh asked Landtag president Ulrike Liedtke (SPD) in a letter to release her from the post, and the Landtag confirmed the request on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
Her regular ten-year term, elected in December 2018 with a two-thirds majority and sworn in at the end of January 2019, would have run until 2029.
Court manager Rena Schuncke said the court will continue with eight of its nine judges, and 95 proceedings are pending.
The Landtag must elect a replacement by a two-thirds majority, and court chair Markus Möller said in September that several judges' terms end in 2029.
- 27 OctMAZ reports Zeh has asked to be released from the post, on Tuesday evening
- 28 OctLandtag administration confirms the request on Wednesday morning
- 2029Regular ten-year term would have ended
Resignation request
Novelist and lawyer Juli Zeh, whose legal name is Julia Barbara Finck, has asked to be released from her honorary seat on the Constitutional Court of the state of Brandenburg. The Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung (MAZ) reported the request on Tuesday, 27 October, citing a letter she sent to state parliament president Ulrike Liedtke (SPD). On Wednesday morning, 28 October, the Landtag administration confirmed the request and said Liedtke would comply promptly, as the Brandenburg Constitutional Court Act requires. Zeh is 52 years old and is best known for bestsellers such as "Unterleuten".
Reasons and the letter
Zeh cites heavy workload from her professional commitments as a writer. According to the Landtag, she regretted that she could no longer give the time the honorary post requires. MAZ reported that her letter called her work at the court a special honour and responsibility that she had always felt it to be. Her new novel, "Pony Show", is currently on tour in Germany. When she took up the post in 2019, she put it this way:
“As a constitutional patriot, it is a matter close to my heart to serve the rule of law in this way.”
Background to the seat
The state parliament elected Zeh in December 2018 on a proposal from the SPD, with a two-thirds majority, and she was sworn in at the end of January 2019. She sits on the court under her civil name, Julia Finck. Her regular term is ten years, so it would have ended in 2029, about three years after this request. The court in Potsdam has nine members who review laws, constitutional complaints and disputes between state bodies. Parliament elects the judges for ten-year terms, and the seats are split into thirds: professional judges, lawyers qualified for judicial office, and people who need no such qualification.
What happens next
Court manager Rena Schuncke said on request that the court will continue its work with eight judges for now, and that 95 proceedings are currently pending. Parliament must now decide on a successor and consider new candidates, and it needs a two-thirds majority to elect them. Court chair Markus Möller said in September that the terms of several judges will end in 2029.
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Sources and context
- Berliner ZeitungJuli Zeh resigns early as Brandenburg constitutional judgeJuli Zeh legt Amt als Brandenburger Verfassungsrichterin vorzeitig nieder · original in German
- DIE WELTJuli Zeh gives up office as constitutional judge earlyJuli Zeh gibt Amt als Verfassungsrichterin vorzeitig auf · original in German
- tagesschau.deBrandenburg: Juli Zeh requests dismissal as Brandenburg constitutional judgeBrandenburg: Juli Zeh beantragt Entlassung als Brandenburger Verfassungsrichterin · original in German
- Spiegel OnlineMedia report: Writer Juli Zeh apparently stops as constitutional judgeMedienbericht: Schriftstellerin Juli Zeh hört offenbar als Verfassungsrichterin auf · original in German
- Juli Zeh
- Novelist and lawyer who asked to leave her honorary seat on the Brandenburg Constitutional Court
- Ulrike Liedtke
- President of the Brandenburg state parliament (Landtag), to whom Zeh addressed her request
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