De vrederechter of nabijheidsrechter als methode van conflictoplossing

(Only in Dutch) Op Blog of the Montaigne Centre, gaan Eddy Bauw en Ivo Giessen in op de wens om het huidige aanbod aan toegankelijke en laagdrempelige rechtspraak uit te breiden, mede in het licht van de ervaringen met de vrederechter in België.

Politics, courts and the law: the Urgenda-case

On December 20th of last year, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled in the case of Urgenda versus de Staat der Nederlanden, confirming the finding of the Court of Appeal that the State violates articles 2 and 8 ECHR if it does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% in 2020. Dr. Ingrid Leijten on Strasbourg Observers highlights what is interesting – as well as convincing – about the way the Supreme Court addresses the issue as a matter of human rights:

'combatting climate change is a fight against the clock and does not leave time for yearlong dialogues between courts and other branches on the goals that need to be achieved as a matter of right. It may thus be hoped that Urgenda instead triggers the realization that States should proactively protect human rights by taking the necessary measures and without hiding behind political disagreement or counterweighing interests.'

Hungarian government suspends enforcement of the Varga pilot judgment

On ECHR Blog Renata Uitz comments on the decision of the Hungarian government of a few days ago of suspending the effect of the pilot judgment of Varga and others about widespread overcrowding in prisons. According to the official statement the suspension is meant as a first step in eradicating the abuse of EU law (sic) and Hungarian law through what was labeled as the „prison business” in Hungary. Accordingly, the Hungarian government will review the application of the law that put in place a compensation for inhuman prison conditions. As to the scale of said „prison business:” according to the secretary of state some 12.000 lawsuits have been commenced so far and the amounts of compensation paid reach HUF 10 billion (approx. EUR 30 million) so far.

Spain has a problem with its judiciary

On Verassungsblog Joaquín Urías reports about the worrying public perception of Spanish judges.

‘The Spanish judiciary does not seem to be worried about its public image of independence and impartiality. In social media many judges, presenting themselves as such, make statements about politics in matters unrelated to justice management and reform. Many of them often show support to the extreme right party VOX. Actually in Spanish social media it has become normal to see judges attack feminism as an ideology or insulting MPs from the left. Their political views clearly often determine their legal positions in contradiction with the mandates of the law or the constitution, especially regarding the exercise of civil rights.’

The EU as Guardian of the Rule of Law

In Peace Palace Library Jaap Hoeksma argues that the EU has become the guardian of the rule of law:

‘The March of the Magistrates, which took place in Warsaw on January 11 2020, heralded a new stage in the process of European integration. Judges from various EU member-states gathered in the Polish capital in order to lend support to their colleagues, demonstrating against the erosion of the rule of law in Poland. In doing so, the judges highlighted that respect for the rule of law is no longer an internal matter for EU member-states. Instead, the March of the Magistrates confirms that the EU has become the guardian of the rule of law.’

iCourts / Pluricourts PhD Summer School 2020

Building on the success and achievements of eight years of innovative and ground-breaking research of international courts, iCourts (University of Copenhagen) in cooperation with PluriCourts (University of Oslo) hosts the 8th high-level summer school for PhD students working on international law and courts 22-26 June 2020. We particularly welcome students who take an interest in the social and political context of international courts and are writing up a PhD thesis that involves an interdisciplinary approach to the study of one or more international courts and a strong focus on methodology.

More information: iCourts

Hadrianus’ dood - Overtuigen en verbinden in de rechtspraak

“Insomma, per citare una delle voci più alte della letteratura del 900’, l’ordinamento giuridico non affatto è indifferente all’esigenza dell’essere umano di entrare nella morte ad occhi aperti.”

Rechterlijke uitspraken kunnen aan overtuiging winnen als zij identificatie van burgers met het recht makkelijker maken. Naarmate in een globaliserende samenleving het recht verder af komt te staan van de belevingswereld van burgers, zal de noodzaak dat zij zich kunnen herkennen in de rechtspraak groter worden. Vervreemding van het recht ligt anders op de loer. Constitutionele verbeelding van het recht kan de wereld weer iets kleiner maken en een vertrouwde context reconstrueren die leidt tot herkenbaarheid en acceptatie van rechterlijke beslissingen. Beslissingen die op het eerste gezicht misschien niet voor zich spreken maar wel recht doen, ook in de ogen van burgers.

Deze bijdrage (link naar NJB of LinkedIn) is een bewerking van een lezing voor het symposium De magistraat van morgen, gehouden op 1 november 2019 bij de Hoge Raad. Zie ook

Nieuwsbrief Rechtspraak Europa no. 1 (2020)

Deze link brengt u bij de nieuwsbrief Rechtspraak Europa met uitspraken van december 2019. De volgende editie verschijnt in februari. Rechtspraak Europa is het maandelijks overzicht van de rechtspraak van het Europese Hof voor de Rechten van de Mens (EHRM) en het Hof van Justitie van de Europese Unie (HvJEU).

De geschiedenis van vrouwen in de Nederlandse rechtspraak

Vrouwelijke rechters in de meerderheid: wat is daarvan het probleem? Die vraag stelde het dagblad Trouw enkele jaren geleden. Er is geen enkele aanwijzing dat vrouwen betere (of slechtere) rechters zijn dan mannen. Vrouwen blijken ook niet zwaarder of lichter te straffen. Toch kleven er volgens deskundigen in het artikel in Trouw drie nadelen aan een meerderheid aan vrouwelijke rechters. Een zittingscombinatie met alleen vrouwen is geen 'representatie' van de samenleving. Mannelijke verdachten (uit andere etnische culturen) zouden moeilijker het gezag van vrouwelijke rechters accepteren. En vrouwen zorgen voor een andere 'sfeer' in de rechtszaal en op de werkvloer.

ENCJ survey on the independence of the judiciary among lawyers

The data of the ENCJ survey on the independence of the judiciary among lawyers are now available in a separate report. Just like the survey among judges on their own independence, the survey was held in early 2019.

Time for Strasbourg to Open its Doors to Turkey’s Purged Public Servants

On Verfassungsblog Dr. Alice Donald writes on the desolate human rights landscape in Turkey. More than 130,000 public sector employees, including judges, prosecutors, teachers, doctors, police officers and academics, were subject to collective, arbitrary dismissal due to unsubstantiated links to organisations considered to be “terrorist”. Concerns abound about the erosion of judicial independence and the “unwarranted and abusive targeting of lawyers for prosecution”.

The independence of the disciplinary chamber of the Polish Supreme Court or how to forget about discipline

On European Law Blog Panagiotis Zinonos  discusses the EU Court of Justice's ruling on the independence of the disciplinary chamber of the Polish Supreme Court (joint cases C-585/18, C-624/18 & C-625/18), intervening in the context of what is described as a ‘rule of law crisis’ in Poland.