Former Polish Supreme Court President Małgorzata Gersdorf was honored in Berlin for her defense of judicial independence and democracy.
He Warned Against Threats to Democracy
Fritz Stern warned against threats to democracy. The historian, born in 1926 in Wrocław to an assimilated Jewish family, managed to escape Nazi Germany before the war. Stern lived and worked in the US for many years, studying the origins of Nazism in Germany. Until his death in 2016, he warned against threats to democracy and populism.
Germany Is Not Safe Either
In her speech, Gersdorf emphasized that the threat to the rule of law currently affects practically every country, including Germany. It is difficult to imagine that German rulers would want to dismiss the President of the Supreme Court or influence their rulings – but is this a guarantee for the future? The judge emphasized. The wave of populism in Germany is like a tsunami, she added. She stated that all European countries should consider how to reform their constitutions to prevent possible attempts by rulers to undermine judicial independence.
Award Acceptance and Message
Before a full hall with a laudation full of recognition, the judge received the honor from her colleague Andreas Vosskuhle, who until 2020 was the president of the German Constitutional Court. “The independence of judges is not their privilege,” emphasized Vosskuhle. “It is the foundation of democracy, which ensures that rulers cannot seize unlimited power in the state.” Gersdorf showed that she knows how to defend the ethos, even under enormous pressure, he said.
Fritz Stern Award Background
This is the first edition of the Fritz Stern Award. Its patron was a historian, born in 1926 in Wrocław, in an assimilated Jewish family. Stern managed to escape from the Third Reich before the outbreak of war. Fritz lived and worked in the USA for years, including studying the origins of Nazism in Germany. Until the end of his life, he warned against threats to democracy and populism. He considered Donald Trump a significant threat.
“My father would have been delighted that the professor received the award in his name,” emphasized on stage Fritz Stern’s daughter, Katherine Stern Brennan, who came to Berlin from the USA. “Her attitude corresponds to my father’s vision of brave women and men fighting for a democratic Europe,” commented Stern Brennan. She referred to the current situation in the USA, where – as she said – the rule of law is also threatened and must be defended.
Institutional Support
The Fritz Stern Award is presented by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences together with Bard College Berlin, a private German-American university in Berlin. The award itself aims to honor people who advocate for democracy and an open society. It is endowed with a sum of 10,000 euros. On the same day, the European Institute of Democracy at Bard College was also inaugurated, which will mainly deal with education and international cooperation for democracy.
