About the Research Meeting

In public debate, the role of judges is sometimes discussed in highly critical terms. The judiciary is, for example, portrayed as a closed institution, as overly conservative, or conversely as too activist. Within the judiciary itself, there has also been ongoing discussion about whether the courts are sufficiently socially effective and whether judges should adopt a more problem-solving approach, rather than merely resolving legal disputes.

But what actually happens in everyday judicial practice? Which role(s) do judges take on in practice, and which values inform their approach? How do they shape oral hearings in their day-to-day work?

Moving beyond the turbulence of public opinion, Nienke Doornbos, Senior Lecturer of Sociology of Law at the University of Amsterdam, will discuss hearing culture in civil justice. She will do so on the basis of a qualitative empirical study in which 87 civil court hearings were observed and 24 judges were interviewed in two courts (Amsterdam and Gelderland). The research report can be downloaded here.

Speakers at this event are:

• Lisa Ansems, Senior Researcher at the Raad voor de rechtspraak, specialising in, among other things, empirical legal research on perceived procedural justice.

• Anna van Duin, Associate Professor of Private Law at the University of Amsterdam, specialising in, among other things, civil litigation and access to justice in consumer cases.