Rennes Lawyers Strike for 25 Days Over Criminal Justice Bill, Disrupting Court Operations

Lawyers in Rennes have maintained a continuous strike for twenty-five days in protest against the French government’s proposed criminal justice reform bill, known as the ‘SURE’ law, significantly disrupting court proceedings in the Ille-et-Vilaine department.

The strike, which began in response to Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin’s initiative to expand plea bargaining in France, has seen Rennes-based legal professionals refuse to appear in court, leading to the postponement or cancellation of numerous criminal and civil hearings.

According to reports from Ouest-France, the action in Rennes is part of a broader national movement where lawyers across France are striking to oppose the bill, which aims to introduce wider plea bargain options for suspects in criminal cases—a practice currently limited in France due to its civil law tradition.

The ‘SURE’ bill (Sanction Utile, Rapide et Effective) is designed to speed up judicial proceedings and reduce court backlogs by allowing defendants to receive more lenient sentences in exchange for admitting guilt, a mechanism lawyers argue undermines defense rights and risks creating a ‘rush-through’ justice system.

Strike actions have been ongoing since April 1 in certain regions, including Lille and Amiens, with April 13 marked as a national ‘black day’ for courts, during which criminal and civil proceedings were expected to be cancelled across France, with some courts completely closed.

In Rennes, approximately 300 lawyers from several bar associations in western France gathered on April 10 outside the Breton Parliament to demonstrate against the criminal justice reform, according to France 24, underscoring the sustained and widespread nature of the opposition.

The National Bar Association and various regional bars have voted to continue the strike, with no fixed end date announced, as demonstrations against the bill are expected to persist.

Ongoing strike activity has resulted in adjournments of multiple cases, including a psychological harassment trial involving officials from the Collectivité in Guadeloupe, where proceedings were delayed after lawyers refused to participate, although the case was later noted to have been adjourned for unrelated reasons involving an assessor’s conflict of interest.

Lawyers involved in the strike contend that the proposed reforms prioritize expediency over fairness, potentially compromising the integrity of the judicial process and the rights of the accused, particularly through expanded use of plea bargains without adequate safeguards.

As of April 26, 2026, the strike in Rennes remains active, reflecting continued resistance among legal professionals to the government’s justice reform agenda and its potential long-term impact on France’s court system.