English Translation

The Reichsmiņister der Judiciary Berlin W 8, February 1943 Wilhelmstraße 65 3200/7 - Ia 202 Telex: 11 00 44, abroad: 11 65 16 To the Lords Oberlandesgerichtpräsidenten Subject: Simplification of the judicial organization. In the course of the measures which are intended to enable the judicial service to re-examine the tasks of the Reichsverteiligung in a larger number of cases, it is also necessary to simplify the organisation of the public authorities, and the framework which the RV of 13 March had gently drawn up will no longer be maintained. The new personnel requirements to be expected: make more drastic measures necessary. In order to ensure that these are adopted in all Upper Regional Court districts in accordance with uniform guidelines, I say: I. Local Courts In the case of local courts, business has declined to such an extent that the continuation of the so far large number of local court cases is no longer justified for the remaining business case. In the case of the various jurisdictions which belong to the jurisdiction of the local court, there are so few matters which cannot be used rationally in many cases by the forces to which they are entitled. A substantial expansion of the districts of small district courts therefore serves not only the requirements imposed by the Reichsdefense on the judiciary, but also the concerns of the administration of justice. In the case of the large number of local courts whose districts would have to be extended, the measures required to merge local courts cannot be carried out in one way under the present war conditions. Therefore, the local courts should first be brought together in such a way that the district usually covers at least 30 000 inhabitants.Differences from this should be limited to those areas in which the districts are particularly wide-ranging or