About the child and the bath

Since it recently became known how great the influence of politics is on the appointment of top judges (and all top administrative posts) in Austria, the Republic has outdone itself in cries of horror and suggestions for improvement.

The undermining of the separation of powers through massive party-political influence on the appointment of higher-ranking judges is, of course, to be condemned. Nevertheless, the general outrage is unjustified. This system has existed at least since the Second World War; it is even partly stipulated in the constitution. What is new, at most, is that "evidence" is on the table for the first time. In any case, many of those who are raising their voices today have themselves come to their top function in precisely this way. Presumably, they are also too young to still remember the clarification of the AKH scandal.

It is also exciting that only coalition parties and members of the federal government are ever mentioned. Yet it is precisely the Federal President who, as an elected politician, has the last word according to the B-VG - and highly respected former Federal Presidents knew how to make extensive use of this possibility by a simple trick: they perfected the art of not signing.

So now, according to one proposal, judges and prosecutors should only be able to be appointed by judicial nomination during their entire career path. At first glance, this sounds tempting, but it overlooks two key facts:

First, judges are human beings, too, and thus not free of political persuasion. Influence, which will certainly continue to be desired by politicians, then shifts to another level.

Secondly, with all due respect and completely disregarding the specific individuals currently acting, the following should also be considered: Systems, which complete themselves exclusively from themselves, tend generally to petrification. Not every passing over of a line-up proposal has to be politically motivated, there can also be solid reasons for it. In any case, quite abstractly, and again emphasized, without looking at any concrete persons, it cannot be assumed that change agents make it into those positions in the judiciary and the administration of justice that enable them to have such an effect even if the "system" itself decides on its supplementation.

So much for the cause and for the sake of the cause. There are certainly ways to unite both goals in a meaningful and objective way.