nam 22 uu 4500 10.59704/4adc61a19deaacd8 DE-Verfassungsblog cr||||| 260206s2026||||xx#|||||o|||| ||| 0|eng|| 10.59704/4adc61a19deaacd8 doi eng 342 23 Dörr, Carolin Author aut When Judges Fall Silent - Why Neutrality is a Goal, Not a Given Dörr, Carolin Verfassungsblog 2026-02-06 Text txt rdacontent Computermedien c rdamedia Online-Ressource cr rdacarrier Neutrality is the buzzword of our time. It dominates debates about rainbow flags in members’ offices of the Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, or judges who wear a headscarf. The desire for a neutral state – and neutral judges in particular – is entirely understandable and perfectly legitimate. The principle of neutrality is meant to prevent bias and partiality and thus ensure equal treatment for all. And yet, according to a recent survey, by 2025 only just over half of respondents in Germany still believed that courts treat everyone equally. So, what is going wrong? CC BY-SA 4.0 Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH Verfassungsblog 2366-7044 https://verfassungsblog.de/when-judges-fall-silent/ raw object