150. A lay judge (Schöffe/Schöffin) at a court in Germany is …

Answer options

1. the deputy of the city’s chief executive (mayor).
2. an honorary (lay) judge.
3. a member of a municipal council.
4. a person who has studied law.

Explanation

Schöffen are honorary lay judges in criminal proceedings under the Courts Constitution Act (GVG); they are independent and bound only by law (Art. 97 Basic Law) and sit as part of the “lawful judge” guaranteed by Art. 101 GG. They serve at the Schöffengericht of the local courts and in the grand criminal chambers of the regional courts, with equal voting rights to professional judges on guilt and sentencing. Selection is made for fixed terms by a Schöffen Selection Committee from municipal nomination lists to ensure social representativeness. The institution, rooted in older German traditions and 19th-century reforms, was democratically re-anchored after 1945 to enhance transparency and civic participation in criminal justice.