Massive IT Outages Cripple Berlin Courts: Judges Warn of Justice System Collapse
Berlin, July 13 – Berlin’s judicial system is facing a severe crisis due to massive IT failures that have brought court proceedings to a near standstill since Monday morning. Judges are unable to access electronic files, send emails, or utilize specialized judicial software, forcing them to resort to pen and paper. The German Association of Judges (DRB Berlin) has issued a stark warning, stating that the situation poses a significant threat to the administration of justice.
Judicial Operations Severely Restricted
Since Monday morning, judges and court staff across Berlin have been unable to log into internal systems to access electronic files and specialized applications, or even to read and send emails. Sources within the judiciary indicate that the disruption is expected to last until at least Tuesday morning. This follows widespread outages that also occurred for several hours on Friday. On Monday, employees at the Tiergarten District Court were reportedly sent home due to the system failures.
A judge, who has served for 30 years, described the daily challenges to the Morgenpost, stating that the e-file system has been problematic for weeks. He reported waiting ten minutes for his computer to boot up and up to two minutes for a single page to load. He lamented that Berlin’s largest criminal court is “completely paralyzed,” adding, “This is the first time I feel we have lost control.”
German Association of Judges Sounds Alarm
Stefan Schifferdecker, co-chairman of DRB Berlin, declared, “We are experiencing a temporary standstill of justice. The judges are angry because we cannot do our work.” He emphasized the severe consequences, including the postponement of oral hearings and verdict announcements, and the inability to process urgent cases.
Schifferdecker highlighted the critical impact on criminal proceedings: “If main hearings have to be postponed due to ongoing IT failures, this can lead to statutory detention periods not being met. Consequently, there is a risk that pre-trial detention may have to be lifted, and defendants released.” A youth judge also complained that the accelerated procedures mandated in juvenile criminal law are currently impossible.
ITDZ Identifies Cause, Limited Access Continues
The state’s IT service center (ITDZ) informed employees on Monday that the cause of the disruption had been identified. The malfunction now allows for “only 200 simultaneous logins at reduced speed.”
Peter Scholz, President of the Tiergarten District Court, had already sent an urgent letter to Justice Senator Felor Badenberg (CDU) last Tuesday, complaining of “untenable conditions, not only for decision-makers but also for service staff.” He stated that the lack of interoperability between various electronic systems had already led to a significant increase in workload for personnel in the “criminal sector,” which the understaffed criminal justice system “can no longer cope with.” Judges are experiencing an “IT-related additional workload” coupled with a “considerable loss of quality in case processing,” leaving less time for the “core of judicial activity.” Scholz also noted an increase in sick leave due to the stress.
Criticism of New Systems and Political Responsibility
Scholz criticized the design of the newly introduced systems, forumSTAR and eIP, arguing they are unsuitable for large courts like Tiergarten, which handles 300 to 500 new cases and mass proceedings. “The introduction of the e-file may formally be considered successful,” the court president wrote, “but with regard to its intended efficiency increase, it has failed.”
Justice Senator Badenberg informed the Morgenpost that her department is in contact with all relevant parties but stated that the ITDZ is responsible for the problem. “In that sense, the judiciary is also suffering, but not responsible,” said the CDU politician. The ITDZ has been under intense pressure for months due to user complaints about poor performance and lack of service, with recent allegations of arbitrary contract awards. However, stressed judges also attribute the problem to political decisions, specifically the approval of three different systems in Germany instead of a single, standardized software for all judicial authorities. Berlin reportedly developed its system with its own resources to save money.
Impact on Citizens and Demands for Action
DRB Berlin co-chairman Schifferdecker emphasized that the problems extend beyond the judiciary, affecting citizens as well. Cases are stalled, decisions are delayed, and public trust in the functioning of the rule of law is undermined.
The Berlin State Association of the German Association of Judges is therefore urging the Berlin Senate to immediately address the causes of the recurring IT failures and to equip the judiciary with a powerful, stable, and fail-safe IT infrastructure. “The digitalization of justice must not lead to courts and public prosecutors’ offices becoming incapacitated for hours or days in the event of technical problems,” said Schifferdecker. “The current situation is no longer acceptable.”
The goal of completely digitalizing the German judiciary with e-files has been in place for ten years. The e-file was supposed to be introduced in all federal states by the end of 2025, a deadline that Berlin has also missed.
Source: German Association of Judges (DRB Berlin), Berlin Senate Department for Justice, Tiergarten District Court, Morgenpost
