gerechtshof

Gerechtshof, a Dutch term meaning "court of appeal," refers to appellate courts in the judicial systems of the Netherlands and the Dutch-speaking regions of Belgium. It serves as the second instance in civil and criminal matters, hearing appeals from lower courts and from certain administrative or specialized tribunals.

Typically, a Gerechtshof is organized into divisions or chambers for civil, criminal, and sometimes tax cases. It sits in panels of three or more judges and may conduct oral hearings or rely on written submissions. Each appellate court has jurisdiction over a defined geographic region and rules on points of law and, in some cases, questions of fact.

Decisions of the Gerechtshof can be reviewed by a country’s supreme court on points of law. In the Netherlands, a further appeal lies to the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden (the Supreme Court); in Belgium, an appeal lies to the Court of Cassation. The Gerechtshof thus fits into a three-tier structure: first instance, appellate court, and supreme court.

Usage and scope vary by country. In the Netherlands, the term denotes several regional appellate courts within the national judiciary. In Belgium, it is used in the Dutch-speaking regions (Flanders) to denote the appellate court with comparable functions. Outside these contexts, the term may be translated as “Court of Appeal” in general descriptions of civil and criminal appellate courts.