Zug,06.11.2017

Aldo Staub

Mention the word “judge” and many will think of an old bewigged man who may have just about heard of the internet. Aldo Staub of Menzingen (second photograph), who was appointed a cantonal judge at the age of only 32 last month, certainly does not fit this image.
 
Prior to his appointment at the beginning of October, Staub had actually worked as secretary to the court for four years, so he was familiar with all they do. Then, when it became known that long-serving judge Beat Furrer of the FDP party was to leave, he thought he would apply.
 
When a vacancy for the position of judge occurs in the canton of Zug, potential new ones are nominated by the individual political parties, before they are subject to election. As the retiring judge was a member of the FDP party, it was this party’s duty to propose a successor, who, by tradition, is then not contested by other parties, as long as he is suitably qualified. Knowing of Furrer’s intentions well in advance, i.e. around one year ago, Staub duly joined the FDP party, the one he felt most affiliated to anyway.
 
Not that Staub had always been intent on becoming a judge, as he confessed his dream job was initially to work in a technical field. “However, after passing my school leaving certificate at the Zug Cantonal School, I had the opportunity to shadow a solicitor colleague of my father for a couple days. He took me out to a building site to look at the situation with regard to a legal dispute there and this made me want to become a lawyer, too;” he explained. Indeed, Staub went on to study law at the universities of Neuchâtel and Lucerne, culminating with a doctorate. After this, he initially worked in a law firm in Zug for a while, concentrating on Civil Law, before going on to work at the cantonal court.
 
As mentioned, Staub comes from Menzingen, where his parents ran the Schlüssel confiserie and the Strickler one in Zug.
 
While some may think he may lack sufficient life experience to hold this post, Staub himself does not feel he is too young. “Well, I already have few grey hairs,” he joked. On a more serious note, he mentioned he had a wide circle of acquaintances, not least in being a member of the local football clubs and music societies. “These clubs reflect society, don’t they?”, he said, as he added that it is in these one learns to listen and to discuss, and to realise what works and what does not.
 
As the journalist noted, Staub seemed older than his young years, thinking carefully before he expressed himself. The reporter also thought he could well believe the young judge when he said the quarrelling parties he has to deal with felt they were taken seriously at all times. After all, this is what being a judge is all about, isn’t it? Bringing together people who are at odds with each other and having to decide in objective way when no solution is forthcoming.
 
While he may well seek an even higher role in the judiciary one day, for the moment he is happy with this new job and all the challenges it presents. One way he finds he can escape for a while is in playing the piano at home. “This enables me to forget everything for a while,” he said.