Party President of the Federal Supreme Court Donzallaz does not seek re-election

The President of the Federal Supreme Court, Yves Donzallaz, is stepping down at the end of the year after one term of office. As the 63-year-old told the newspaper "Schweiz am Wochenende", he wants to make way for a new force. He will retain his office as a federal judge.

The new presidency of the court will be elected by the United Federal Assembly in the winter session for a two-year term of office. Normally, the respective vice president succeeds him as president. In Donzallaz's case, this is François Chaix from the FDP. The federal judges are nominated by the political parties. Following a dispute with the SVP, Donzallaz is the only non-party federal judge.

The Valais lawyer was elected to the Federal Supreme Court in 2008 as a member of the cantonal SVP. He was a member of the Administrative Commission for eight years, two of which as Vice-President, and President in the 2022 and 2023 terms of office.

Donzallaz told the newspaper that throughout this time, and especially in the two years of his presidency, he had focused on "ensuring that our institution not only performs its duties in the best possible way, but also continues to develop successfully".

Overall, he is satisfied with what has been achieved. "After careful consideration, I have therefore come to the conclusion that a new person should take over to lead the Federal Supreme Court with fresh enthusiasm and, in particular, to guide it through the coming anniversary year," he was quoted as saying in the newspaper. The Federal Supreme Court will be 150 years old in 2025.

Fierce criticism from the SVP

Donzallaz had been sharply criticized by the SVP for rulings that went against the party line. In 2015, for example, he ruled that the free movement of persons with the EU should be given more weight than the SVP's mass immigration initiative.

In 2019, he spoke out in favor of handing over thousands of UBS client data to France. Two bourgeois judges on the five-judge panel spoke out against it, while one Green judge and one GLP judge spoke in favor. Donzallaz's vote tipped the scales.

In 2020, the SVP therefore proposed that he not be re-elected as a federal judge. The party also wanted to prevent his election as vice president and suggested that he resign from the party. Donzallaz did not do so, citing the independence of the judiciary. In the end, the United Federal Assembly re-elected him as Vice-President against the wishes of the SVP. Two years later, Donzallaz resigned from the party. He thus became the only non-party federal judge.