The Hague District Court

The district of The Hague District Court includes the following municipalities and is divided into 3 regions. The Paleis van Justitie in The Hague is the seat of the court administration. In this area, the district court of The Hague handles first instance cases, or cases that have not been before the court before.

Rechtbank Den Haag (until January 1, 2013 rechtbank 's-Gravenhage) has jurisdiction in first instance in its district. This means that the court is the first authority to give a legal opinion on a case or conflict. Thereafter, a litigant (for example, the convicted person or the Public Prosecution Service (om.nl)) may appeal to the Hague Court of Appeal. The court, together with The Hague Court of Appeal and the Board of Business Appeals, is located in the Hague Palace of Justice. It employs about 200 judges and 720 other permanent staff.