When my kids were little, they would dash towards these sculptures to try and spot the one with the name “Hugo de Groot”. Just because their last name is “de Groot” too. 😆
“Are we related?”, they would ask.
Since then, I have always wondered about the building behind this series of six statues of famous historical jurists.
It is the Supreme Court of the Netherlands or the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden.
Officially, the High Council of the Netherlands, the highest court in the fields of civil, criminal and tax law in the Netherlands.
When I stumbled upon Open Day some time ago, I could not resist the opportunity to take a look inside. Naturally!
The first room I got to see was a big hall. The hall was named after Lodewijk Ernst Visser, the first Jewish president of the Supreme Court. Due to his Jewish descent, he was dismissed during the war by the German occupiers without the Supreme Court protesting against this.
A hall that can accommodate 400 people but I was told that it is hardly ever being used due to its nature. The Supreme Court is a cassation court whereby it assesses whether the lower courts applied the law correctly and if the rulings have sufficient reasoning. Cases are usually examined on paper and via digital.
As I walked past the back of the six statues, I realized the wordings “BI IUDICIA DEFICIUNT INCIPIT BELLUM” are immortalized high on the wall along the hall of this High Council. A statement penned by the Dutch legal scholar, Hugo de Groot (1583-1645), founder of international law.
It is loosely translated: ‘where judicial decisions fail, war begins’. A motto of the Supreme Court!
Down the foyer, I admired a giant peculiar painting called “Hoge Raad”, commissioned specifically for the Supreme Court. It is by a Dutch visual artist, Helen Verhoeven. Her works often explore the theme of ceremonial gatherings. The 4m × 6.5m painting portrays real and symbolic characters with art and historical references to the development of the Dutch legal system and constitution. It is very theatrical! Right?
Last but not least, I sat in a small hall at the end of the building. There were numbers on the screen listing the key figures of 2022; from the number of incoming cases to the number of cases concluded. I could ask the lawyers anything. I did not know what to ask.
The Supreme Court was established on 1 October 1838. It is the highest court in the Netherlands in civil, criminal and tax cases. It is also for Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.
📍Korte Voorhout 8. 2511 EK ‘s-Gravenhage.
That was an very justified visit. 🤗
