Institutions for Conflict Resolution (COI)

Law and Corona

The impact of the coronavirus crisis on the judicial system.

As a result of measures to combat the coronavirus, many court proceedings were unable to proceed. The most urgent cases were held virtually, which led to innovations in digital communication which can provide lessons for the future. The research analyses the issues that have arisen during the coronacrisis in relation to the justice system in the Netherlands, the measures taken and the impact of these on the fundamental rights of vulnerable litigants, in particular, and their faith in the justice system. It aims to contribute to the further development of the institution of the justice system, and to reinforcing the fundamental rights of these vulnerable litigants in times of crisis and beyond.

The research is financed by a research grant from the Covid-19 programme of ZonMw, the Dutch organisation for research into health care, and is carried out by Leiden University, Utrecht University, and Radboud University Nijmegen. More information can be found here and here.