Courts inform online about upcoming criminal trials - Berlin’s courts now publish high-profile trial dates online for public access
Berlin’s criminal courts will now publish the dates of upcoming high-profile trials online. The move follows calls for greater transparency in judicial proceedings. Until recently, this information was only shared with journalists in the city.
The schedules will cover key hearings at the Kammergericht and Landgericht I Berlin. A brief summary of each case will also be provided when a trial begins. However, defendants’ first names will be withheld, and surnames will appear only as initials.
The press office of Berlin’s criminal courts will compile the listings. Cases at the Amtsgericht Tiergarten will only feature if they have already attracted media attention or are deemed particularly significant. Juvenile criminal proceedings and preventive detention cases will remain excluded. The decision aligns with practices in other German states. For example, the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Court of Justice already publish rulings marked as 'pressierbar' (press-relevant) on their websites. Berlin’s courts now aim to offer similar access to the public.
The new system will allow anyone to check upcoming trials on the websites of the Landgericht I Berlin and the Kammergericht. The change responds to growing public interest in court transparency. Exceptions will apply for sensitive cases, including those involving minors or preventive detention.
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