Overview
- The Hessian Staatsgerichtshof ruled on Wednesday that the 2022 Volksbegehren "Verkehrswende Hessen" was lawfully rejected and cannot be partly admitted.
- Judges said several provisions in the draft mobility law concern matters reserved for federal law, including aspects of road and federal-rail regulation, and therefore exceed the state's legislative competence.
- The court declined a partial admission because the collected signatures supported the full draft text and could not be assumed to back a truncated version.
- Organizers said they were "disappointed but not deterred" and plan to keep pushing for change through talks with politicians and local projects, while the state government pointed to the 2023 Nahmobilitätsgesetz and will study the court's written reasons.
- The decision clarifies legal limits on state-level referendums over transport, hands the tactical advantage to negotiation and local implementation, and leaves campaigners to press for further policy gains within the bounds of federal and state competences.