Katja Meier

Katja Meier (born 10 September 1979) is a German politician who is a member of Alliance 90/The Greens. She has worked in important government roles in the state of Saxony.

From 2015 to 2020, she served as a member of the Landtag of Saxony, which is the state parliament. Since 20 December 2019, Katja Meier has been the Saxon State Minister of Justice and for Democracy, European Affairs and Equality. In this role, she helps make sure laws are fair and supports important values like equality and democracy.

Early life and education

Katja Meier was born in Zwickau. In the 1990s, she played bass in a local punk band named Harlekin. After finishing school in 1998, she studied political science, modern and contemporary history, and sociology at the Universities of Jena, Tartu, and Münster, and she graduated with a master’s degree in 2004.

Political career

Katja Meier joined the Greens in 2005. In 2015, she became a member of the Landtag of Saxony when another person decided not to take their seat. In 2019, she and Wolfram Günther were chosen as top candidates for her party in the 2019 Saxony state election. After discussions, a new government was formed with different parties, led by Michael Kretschmer. On December 20, 2019, Katja Meier became the Saxon State Minister of Justice and for Democracy, Europe and Equality. She left her seat in the Landtag on January 9, 2020.

Controversies

In early 2020, some old videos appeared showing Katja Meier playing music with a band when she was a teenager. In one song, the lyrics were against police, which caused some disagreement. Katja said she does not support violence and received support from other politicians.

Later, Katja displayed a rainbow flag at her office to celebrate a holiday. Someone argued this was not neutral, but the courts allowed the flag to remain. She was also chosen by her party to help elect the President of Germany in 2022.

Personal life

Katja Meier lives in Dresden. Her partner is Josefine Paul, who leads the Green group in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia.