The CDU/CSU union pushed for postponing the vote on one of the judges, citing plagiarism suspicions. The union's junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, were outraged by the decision.

But his Social Democrat coalition partners and the opposition Greens said she was being treated unfairly. Over the past week, conservative legislators have said they were uncomfor

The authority of Germany's Constitutional Court has not been damaged by a government spat over who to appoint as future judges on the court, according to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. A dispute between the two groups in the coalition government - the conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) - led to a vote on the new judges being delayed this week.