Dutch judge floods municipalities with ‘booby trap’ information requests
In the media image: Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
A judge sent thousands of disruptive ‘Woo’ requests to Dutch municipalities in a calculated attempt to expose systemic flaws. Constitutional law expert Wim Voermans says in ‘FTM’ and ‘MR’ that the judge’s actions undermine the foundations of the judiciary’s impartiality.
The judge, who has since been suspended, operated under a fictitious name and is estimated to have filed around 4,000 information requests with municipalities in order to deliberately put them under pressure, possibly hoping to force changes. This raises questions about the role and independence of this judge, especially since judges are expected to stand above political debate. Investigative platform Follow The Money discovered the case by chance during its broader investigation into misuse of the Open Government Act (Wet openbare overheid (Woo)).
Professor Voermans says it is highly questionable whether it is appropriate for a judge to expose a flaw in the law, especially a judge who in previous rulings has repeatedly been critical of how the Woo functions. He calls it ‘totally unacceptable’ and speaks of ‘open judicial undermining of the law’. Voermans also points to people who previously received a ruling in a Woo-related case: ‘Did they receive a fair and impartial trial, now that we know this about the judge?’