With a new broad political agreement, the Danish courts have been given the green light to open the courtrooms and start again to address the huge pending litigation.
As part of the new agreement to reopen the country, the courts are urged to reopen in order to “be able to carry out as many cases as possible” as quickly as possible.
And now, in a press release, the Court of Justice states that the country’s courts will open on April 27, where up to 75 percent of all cases can then be completed.
The pressure of shutting down
The vast majority of lawsuits have been put on hold since large parts of Denmark – including the courts – closed down in whole or in part on March 13.
Initially, the courts will focus on the resumption of criminal and civil cases – including family law cases.
Director of the Court of Justice Kristian Hertz assures that the reopening will happen, so that it is sound health.
High-pressure work is being done to find solutions that enable us to get the courts up and running in the highest possible cadence, without compromising health, Kristian Hertz said in the announcement.
Agreement to reopen the courts
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The Danish Courts have initiated emergency preparedness to deal with critical cases, but far more cases are needed. The courts are therefore urged to reopen in order to be able to complete as many cases as possible. At the same time, the Family Court House will open for conducting child interviews and supervised attendance as very specific child-related critical activities. Source: Ministry of State
Once you have dealt with criminal and civil cases, other cases will be dealt with as circumstances permit.
May be squeezed in the square – litigation can be conducted elsewhere
However, the courts will be challenged by the authorities’ guidelines not to be too many gathered in too little space.
The courts have large courtrooms available, but as a result of the health authorities’ recommendations, these halls are being squeezed, as several smaller cases have to be settled in large courtrooms. The biggest cases, referral cases and cases with many defendants, due to physical conditions, cannot be settled locally in all courts, says Kristian Hertz.
In recent days it has been mentioned that lawsuits could be held in city halls or sports halls, and Kristian Hertz confirms that you are looking at alternatives to the courtrooms.
We are investigating all possibilities to utilize the capacity of the courts and also look at the possibilities of working outside normal business hours and providing external premises, he says.
Several thousand cases have been canceled
During the shutdown, the courts have been in emergency preparedness and dealt with only the most important cases.
Something that has greatly challenged an already pressed judiciary, which has long had difficulty keeping up with the number of cases.
A situation that was described yesterday as “serious” and “not worthy of a judicial community” because the long waiting times can mean, among other things, penalties, unfairly long detention and the very frustrating wait for the prosecuted in various cases.
And it is a huge hump waiting for the Danish courts, says DR’s correspondent, Trine Maria Ilsøe.
The Court has not wanted to put the number of cases that have been canceled, but we are talking about several thousand. Then you have to get that hump down, then you have to get going, she says.
Source: dr.dk
