16 April 2010: Dutch Hoge Raad Seminar on Selection of Cases

16 April 2010
The Hague

HiiL and the Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) organised a closed seminar on the topic of case selection by highest national courts. For HiiL, this topic directly relates to its research theme Highest Courts. For the Hoge Raad, the seminar took place as part of a broader process of consultation triggered by the Hammerstein Report which suggested that certain aspects of the Hoge Raad’s work may need to be reformed.

By co-organising this seminar with the Hoge Raad, HiiL aimed to provide insights into the experiences of other (comparable) legal systems with respect to the selection of cases by highest courts in light of an ever increasing caseload. In order to do so, esteemed speakers were invited from four foreign legal systems of interest (Finland, Denmark, France and Spain) to present how case-selection is done in their respective jurisdiction.

The seminar was composed of two sections:
In the morning, presentations were given in a plenary session in front of an audience of approximately 100-150 participants, comprised of judges of the Hoge Raad and of lower courts in the Dutch legal system, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Council for the Judiciary, the Council of State, the Bar Association and experts from academia.
In the afternoon, parallel workshops in small groups (exclusively for the judges of the Hoge Raad and the members of its Parket) allowed a closer examination of the issues at hand.

Programme

08:15 – 09:00	Registration and welcome coffee
09:00 – 09:05	Welcome words by Dr. Sam Muller Director of HiiL and the Chair of the meeting
09:05 – 09:15	Opening remarks by Judge Geert Corstens President of the Hoge Raad
09:15 – 09:45	Presentation by Judge Pauliine Koskelo President of the Supreme Court of Finland (Korkein oikeus)
09:45 – 10:05	Questions & Answers
10:05 – 10:35	Presentation by Judge Alain Lacabarats Member of the French Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation)
10:35 – 10:55	Questions & Answers
10:55 – 11:20	Break
11:20 – 11:50	Presentation by Prof. Manuel Ortells-Ramos Professor of Procedural Law at the University of Valencia, expert on the Spanish Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo de España)
11:50 – 12:10	Questions & Answers
12:10 – 12:40	Presentation by Judge Jon Stokholm Member of the Supreme Court of Denmark (Højesteret)  and Chairman of that court’s Appeals Permission Board
12:40 – 13:00	Questions & Answers
13:00 – 13:15	Closing remarks by Prof. Jan Watse Fokkens Procurator General at the Hoge Raad
13:15 – 14:15	Lunch

Participation in this seminar was by personal invitation only.

See also:

• Seminar's factsheet
• Summary Report: Hammerstein Committee (in English)
• Report: Hammerstein Committee (in English)
• Report: Hammerstein Committee (in Dutch) 

For further information, please contact:
Morly Frishman
t +31 70 349 4409.