"Justice is neither secret nor silent"

The President of the Superior Court of Justice (uniting the Court of Cassation and the Court of Appeal) and the Constitutional Court, was dressed in a suit and tie, as the job requires, to receive us in his corner office in the Judiciary Centre, with a view of the forecourt and the Grund. A calm man, committed to remain in his role while not hiding a certain humour, with the reservation that befits his position in a very civilised and formal judicial environment.

Lëtzebuerger Journal: What is your assessment of your five years at the head of the judiciary?

Jean-Claude Wiwinius: On a personal level, I can say it was an impeccable five years, apart from a few grey hairs. I must say that I had the chance to meet a number of very interesting people, be they politicians, diplomats or members of the Council of State, which has given me great pleasure. I was also able to count on the support of my colleagues at the Court of Cassation, thanks to whom I was able to continue to hold office despite my trips abroad.

From my point of view, at the professional level, the results are positive. A year ago, I would have told you that it is very positive – but with the pandemic I have had to deal mainly with the health crisis at the Court for the last fourteen months.

Five years ago, you wanted to “increase the visibility of justice”. Did you manage to do so?

Yes, I think I have. I have given many interviews to the print and broadcast media, which has made justice a little more visible. Of course, it still remains discreet, but it is neither secret nor silent. I have also given a number of lectures on the organisation of the judiciary. And then the Press Office, which I helped to set up, is, in my opinion, a success story. It organises very frequent visits to the Judiciary Centre – unfortunately reduced to almost zero because of the pandemic.

After all, the visibility of justice is also that of court decisions and case law. The fact that our decisions are increasingly accessible is important: in October 2019, we put more than 43,000 court decisions or extracts online, available to litigants.