In 2021, Christian Dettmar, 60, ruled that two schools in Weimar did not have to abide by Covid-19 safety precautions mandated by the federal government in Berlin. These included wearing masks, routine testing, and social distancing.
Prosecutors argued that Dettmar, who served as a family court judge, had ruled on matters that were outside his purview, and originally sought a three-year prison sentence.
On Wednesday, the Erfurt Regional Court delivered its verdict, finding Dettmar guilty of perverting the law. After having his license suspended in January, the father of three has now lost his pension. Regardless of how long one has worked for the state, under German law any civil servant who commits a crime becomes ineligible to receive such payments from the government.
The elderly judge's attorney, Gerhard Strate, called the charges brought against his client "nonsensical," and vowed to appeal the court's ruling.
According to the Epoch Times, Dettmar did not deliver his 2021 ruling on a whim. It came only after extensive deliberation with three external experts on the matter. Nonetheless, the ruling was quickly condemned by the Thüringian Higher Regional Court and the Federal Court of Justice, both of which argued that family courts were not allowed to rule on matters related to public institutions.
