Does Germany use jury trials?
Not used
Jury trials were abolished in 1924; serious cases are heard by mixed panels of professional and lay judges.
Germany is one of 8 countries classified “Not used” for jury trials — 30% of the 27 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Jury trial
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Checked by hand against the source.
Nearby countries
- Austria
- Limited use / mixed courts Austria retains jury elements only for serious criminal cases, indicating a limited application.
- Belgium
- Limited use / mixed courts Belgium uses juries only for specific serious crimes, political crimes, and press delicts via the Court of Assize.
- Switzerland
- Not used The unified Swiss Code of Criminal Procedure entering into force in 2011 abolishes jury trials and lay judges.
- France
- Limited use / mixed courts Juries sit with professional judges to determine guilt and penalty, indicating a limited role in the justice system.
- Hungary
- Limited use / mixed courts Hungary uses a mixed court system with lay judges participating in panels for specified cases.
- Italy
- Limited use / mixed courts Juries are used only for specific serious crimes in mixed courts.
Other laws in Germany
- Death Penalty
- Fully abolished
- Gun Laws
- Licensed / moderate
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.