Court in NRW concludes presidential hunger strike; end announced
The Higher Administrative Court in Münster, Germany, has a new president as of August 13, 2025. Carsten Günther, the only remaining candidate, was appointed to the position after a series of controversies and delays.
Günther's presidency comes following the retirement of Ricarda Brandts in 2021 and the withdrawal of several earlier applicants. The appointment process, however, was not without its challenges.
Initially, a department head from the NRW Ministry of the Interior was chosen as the court president. However, this decision was met with opposition and the procedure had to be restarted. The administrative courts in Düsseldorf and Münster later granted the complaints of the unsuccessful applicants.
The case took a turn when Carsten Günther filed a complaint, alleging a violation of the principle of the common "best selection" in the judiciary. This led to further investigations, and the investigative committee in the state parliament uncovered additional inconsistencies in the assessment of the selected candidate by the Ministry of the Interior.
The Minister of Justice in North Rhine-Westphalia has been criticised for his opaque selection process. According to the FDP's legal policy spokesman, Werner Pfeil, significant damage has been caused. The Minister's honesty about the appointment procedure was also questioned when Carsten Günther accused him of not telling the truth during the investigative committee proceedings in the state parliament.
The future cooperation between the Minister of Justice and Carsten Günther, the new OVG president, is likely to be somewhat tense. Günther's presidency ends on August 13, 2027.
This article is based on press releases from the State Chancellery, the FDP, the reporter's own research, and audio recordings. Sources could not provide information about the appointment process of Carsten Günther as President of the Higher Administrative Court in Münster, nor any controversy related to it. However, it is known that there were no available search results indicating any controversy related to his appointment.
The presidency of the Higher Administrative Court was without leadership for four years before Günther's appointment. It is worth noting that Carsten Günther is the only remaining candidate throughout this period.
The CDU's chosen candidate could not be approved by the then ruling black-yellow cabinet, paving the way for Günther's appointment. The procedure for a new president was restarted when the Greens replaced the FDP in the state government in 2022, leading to Günther's eventual appointment.
Despite the controversies, Carsten Günther has taken up his role as the new President of the Higher Administrative Court in Münster. His tenure will last until August 13, 2027.
- The controversy surrounding Carsten Günther's appointment as the President of the Higher Administrative Court in Münster has raised questions about the politics of the state, particularly in regards to the policy-and-legislation of judicial appointments and transparency in the selection process.
- The general news, both local and national, has been following the political implications of Carsten Günther's presidency, as it has been marked by allegations of irregularities during the appointment process and the potential impact on his relationship with the Minister of Justice.
