Overview

• In a survey of state justice ministries, unresolved criminal procedures reached roughly 964,000 at mid‑2025, about 13,000 above the end‑2024 record, with more than 2.7 million new cases logged in the first half.
• North Rhine‑Westphalia reported the largest absolute caseload with nearly 267,000 open files, while Hamburg’s backlog rose to about 64,400, nearly tripling since 2021, and Brandenburg cut its pile to roughly 24,039.
• Sven Rebehn of the Deutscher Richterbund warned that proceedings are taking longer and dismissals are increasing as prosecutors struggle with sustained high volumes and complex investigations.
• The federal pact provides €450 million for staffing and IT, but disbursement hinges on Länder co‑financing and concrete hiring promises, with the Richterbund pressing for roughly 2,000 additional posts.
• Regional snapshots underscore the strain: Berlin counted 54,905 open cases, Baden‑Württemberg edged down to just over 76,700, Lower Saxony stood at 73,741, Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern rose to 20,277, and Saxony reached about 46,000.