Judith Schmutz

Judith Schmutz (; born 1996) is a Swiss lawyer and politician who served as president of the Cantonal Council of Lucerne from 2023 until 2024. She was the youngest president of the council in the canton's history, and one of the youngest in all of Switzerland. Schmutz served on the cantonal council from 2019 until her resignation in 2024 representing the Hochdorf District.

Early life and education Schmutz was born in 1996 in Müllheim, Switzerland, to Jürg and Beate Schmutz. She grew up in the Canton of Thurgau until 2007, when her family moved to Rain in the Canton of Lucerne after her father became the state archivist.

Schmutz attended the and spent an exchange year in South Dakota. She later received a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Fribourg and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Lucerne. After receiving her master's degree, Schmutz became an intern at the Hochdorf District Court and later joined a law firm in Lucerne.

Political career Inspired by her experiences in the United States, Schmutz joined the Green Party of Switzerland at age 16 and became politically active. While in the council, she spoke against a proposal which would allocate 500 million francs for the construction of new roads in Lucerne, arguing that the canton should focus on public transportation instead. She also accused the cantonal government of lowering benchmark targets to signal to the national government that public transportation was not a major issue in Lucerne. Schmutz was vice president of the cantonal council from 2022 until 2023. She was re-elected to the council in the 2023 elections, receiving the highest number of votes on the Green Party list. Aged 26, she became the youngest council president in the canton's history, and one of the youngest in all of Switzerland. She left the role at the end of her term on 30 June 2024.