Overview

• Parliament elected Günter Spinner, Sigrid Emmenegger and Ann‑Katrin Kaufhold to the Federal Constitutional Court in a secret ballot on Thursday.
• The Bundesrat unanimously chose Kaufhold as vice president, a role that traditionally precedes the presidency; President Stephan Harbarth's term ends in 2030.
• Because the government lacked a supermajority, the vote depended on backing from the Greens and The Left after weeks of intra‑coalition friction over nominees.
• Kaufhold, a constitutional law professor at LMU Munich who trained under former court president Andreas Voßkuhle, faced right‑wing attacks that independent fact‑checks found misleading.
• Spinner comes from the Federal Labour Court and Emmenegger from the Federal Administrative Court, and formal appointments by the federal president are planned for early October.