This is about much more than just an election

It leaves me speechless to see how people in this country are working to sideline intelligent and principled women.

What we are currently witnessing is an attack on our democratic culture, on science, and on the right of women to take on leadership roles in our society. The case of Brosius-Gersdorf shows in stark terms how quickly a woman of integrity—despite her qualifications, despite having support—can become a pawn in disinformation campaigns, right-wing extremist networks, and political opportunism. And even become a target: up to and including death threats.

Fortunately, I am not alone in my outrage.

In their statement on the Brosius-Gersdorf case, nearly 300 legal scholars strongly protest “the way Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf was treated in politics and the public sphere in the context of the election of judges to the Federal Constitutional Court. This treatment is capable of damaging the candidate, the institutions involved, and, in the medium term, the entire democratic order by eroding the culture of respectful engagement.”

Among experts, it is completely undisputed that the candidate is a highly respected constitutional law professor. “Any statements questioning her academic reputation are therefore simply inaccurate and unfounded. Of course, that doesn’t mean that one cannot criticize some of her legal positions or hold different views. However, portrayals that label these positions as inherently fringe or radical are, in any case, shaped by ignorance of the legal scholarly discourse.”

The authors describe the events at the end of last week as follows:

“To first confirm a candidate in the Judicial Selection Committee, only to then backtrack in response to ideological lobbying groups and campaigns filled with falsehoods and defamation, shows at the very least a lack of political backbone and insufficient internal preparation. That then highly implausible plagiarism allegations must serve as a pretext for postponement—and thus further damage to the candidate is accepted—is an attack on the reputation of science and its representatives.”

Posted by Natascha Hoffner, Founder & CEO of herCAREER | Recipient of the FTAfelicitas Award from Femtec.Alumnae e.V. | LinkedIn Top Voice 2020 | Editor of the “Women of the Year” books published by Callwey Verlag
published on LinkedIn on 17.07.2025