Overview
- The Administrative Court of Schleswig-Holstein refused a provisional order to ban or retract two statements Daniel Günther made on ZDF’s Markus Lanz in early January.
- Judges held that Günther spoke as a party politician rather than as minister-president, meaning the remarks are not attributable to the state.
- The contested comments called Nius and similar sites “opponents” and “enemies of democracy” and said Nius articles about him were “completely fact-free.”
- The State Chancellery welcomed the decision as a signal for further legal assessment, while Nius’s lawyer denounced the ruling for a “constructed” role separation.
- A separate main lawsuit by Nius over the lawfulness of the remarks remains pending, with a hearing expected at a later date.