Baerbock backs Brosius-Gersdorf: “A highly qualified woman is being brought down”

Following the failed election of new constitutional judges, prominent Green Party politicians are backing candidate Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf. "It's no coincidence that the discrediting methods used to (once again) bring down a highly qualified woman," wrote former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Platform X. "It's no coincidence that it's the very person who advocates for women's right to self-determination who is targeted."

Following reservations expressed by the CDU/CSU regarding the SPD -nominated lawyer Brosius-Gersdorf, all planned votes on the appointment of new judges to the Federal Constitutional Court in the Bundestag had to be postponed at short notice on Friday. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group had demanded that morning that the SPD withdraw its nomination of the law professor, citing alleged plagiarism.

Brosius-Gersdorf has been the subject of massive criticism from the CDU/CSU in recent days, particularly due to her liberal stance on the issue of abortion. Ultimately, all parliamentary groups except the AfD voted to remove the item from the agenda.

During the Bundestag debate, Green Party parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann had already expressed similar views to Baerbock. She criticized the alleged influence of "right-wing news portals" on the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Ultimately, the plagiarism allegations would jeopardize a woman's career. "As a woman, you can't let that happen," Haßelmann said.

In a series of posts on X, Baerbock also wrote: “It is no coincidence that it is the same right-wing platforms that recently drove a renowned journalist to attempt suicide.” This refers to the plagiarism allegations against the then deputy editor-in-chief of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Alexandra Föderl-Schmid.